He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a (A)shield to those who walk in integrity,
Guarding the paths of justice,
And He (B)watches over the way of His godly ones.
Then you will discern (C)righteousness, justice,
And integrity, and every (D)good path.
10 For (E)wisdom will enter your heart,
And (F)knowledge will be delightful to your soul;
11 Discretion will (G)watch over you,
Understanding will guard you,
12 To (H)rescue you from the way of evil,
From a person who speaks (I)perverse things;
13 From those who (J)leave the paths of uprightness
To walk in the (K)ways of darkness;
14 Who (L)delight in doing evil
And rejoice in the perversity of evil;
15 Whose paths are (M)crooked,
And who are devious in their ways;
16 To (N)rescue you from the strange woman,
From the (O)foreign woman who flatters with her words,
17 Who leaves the (P)companion of her youth
And forgets the (Q)covenant of her God;
18 For (R)her house sinks down to death,
And her tracks lead to the [a]dead;
19 None (S)who go to her return,
Nor do they reach the (T)paths of life.
20 So you will (U)walk in the way of good people
And keep to the (V)paths of the righteous.
21 For (W)the upright will live in the land,
And (X)the blameless will remain in it;
22 But (Y)the wicked will be eliminated from the land,
And (Z)the treacherous will be (AA)torn away from it.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 2:18 Lit departed spirits

He stores up success[a] for the upright;
He is a shield for those who live with integrity(A)
so that He may guard the paths of justice
and protect the way of His loyal followers.(B)
Then you will understand righteousness, justice,
and integrity—every good path.
10 For wisdom will enter your mind,
and knowledge will delight your heart.
11 Discretion will watch over you,
and understanding will guard you,(C)
12 rescuing you from the way of evil—
from the one who says perverse things,
13 from those who abandon the right paths
to walk in ways of darkness,(D)
14 from those who enjoy doing evil(E)
and celebrate perversion,
15 whose paths are crooked,(F)
and whose ways are devious.(G)
16 It will rescue you from a forbidden woman,(H)
from a stranger[b] with her flattering talk,(I)
17 who abandons the companion of her youth(J)
and forgets the covenant of her God;
18 for her house sinks down to death
and her ways to the land of the departed spirits.(K)
19 None return who go to her;
none reach the paths of life.(L)
20 So follow the way of good people,(M)
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will inhabit the land,
and those of integrity will remain in it;(N)
22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land,(O)
and the treacherous uprooted from it.(P)

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 2:7 Or resourcefulness
  2. Proverbs 2:16 Or foreign woman

20 (A)My son, comply with the commandment of your father,
And do not ignore the [a]teaching of your mother;
21 (B)Bind them continually on your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
22 When you (C)walk, [b]they will guide you;
When you sleep, [c]they will watch over you;
And when you awake, [d]they will talk to you.
23 For (D)the commandment is a lamp and the [e]teaching is light;
And rebukes for discipline are the way of life
24 To (E)keep you from the evil woman,
From the smooth tongue of the foreign woman.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 6:20 Or law
  2. Proverbs 6:22 Lit she
  3. Proverbs 6:22 Lit she
  4. Proverbs 6:22 Lit she
  5. Proverbs 6:23 Or law

Warning against Adultery

20 My son, keep your father’s command,
and don’t reject your mother’s teaching.(A)
21 Always bind them to your heart;
tie them around your neck.(B)
22 When you walk here and there, they will guide you;
when you lie down, they will watch over you;
when you wake up, they will talk to you.
23 For a command is a lamp, teaching is a light,(C)
and corrective discipline is the way to life.(D)
24 They will protect you from an evil woman,[a]
from the flattering[b] tongue of a stranger.(E)

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 6:24 LXX reads from a married woman
  2. Proverbs 6:24 Lit smooth

The Lures of the Prostitute

My son, (A)keep my words
And treasure my commandments within you.
(B)Keep my commandments and live,
And my [a]teaching (C)as the [b]apple of your eye.
(D)Bind them on your fingers;
(E)Write them on the tablet of your heart.
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your intimate friend,
So that they may keep you from an [c]adulteress,
From the foreigner who flatters with her words.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 7:2 Or law
  2. Proverbs 7:2 Lit pupil
  3. Proverbs 7:5 Lit strange woman

My son, obey my words,
and treasure my commands.(A)
Keep my commands and live;(B)
protect my teachings
as the pupil of your eye.(C)
Tie them to your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.(D)
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”(E)
and call understanding your relative.
She will keep you from a forbidden woman,
a stranger with her flattering talk.(F)

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19 When there are (A)many words, wrongdoing is unavoidable,
But (B)one who restrains his lips is wise.

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19 When there are many words, sin is unavoidable,
but the one who controls his lips is wise.(A)

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In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his back,
But (A)the lips of the wise will protect them.

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The proud speech of a fool brings a rod of discipline,[a]
but the lips of the wise protect them.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:3 Some emend to In the mouth of a fool is a rod for his back

10 The (A)name of the Lord is a (B)strong tower;
The righteous runs into it and (C)is [a]safe.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 18:10 Lit set on high

10 The name of Yahweh is a strong tower;(A)
the righteous run to it and are protected.[a](B)

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 18:10 Lit raised high

23 One who (A)guards his mouth and his tongue,
Guards his soul from troubles.

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23 The one who guards his mouth and tongue
keeps himself out of trouble.(A)

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(A)Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;
One who guards himself will be far from them.

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There are thorns and snares on the path of the crooked;(A)
the one who guards himself stays far from them.

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24 Do not make friends with a person given to anger,
Or go with a (A)hot-tempered person,
25 Or you will (B)learn his ways
And [a]find a snare for yourself.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:25 Lit take

24 Don’t make friends with an angry man,[a]
and don’t be a companion of a hot-tempered man,(A)
25 or you will learn his ways(B)
and entangle yourself in a snare.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:24 Lit with a master of anger