He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
(A)He is a shield to those who walk uprightly;
He guards the paths of justice,
And (B)preserves the way of His saints.
Then you will understand righteousness and justice,
Equity and every good path.

10 When wisdom enters your heart,
And knowledge is pleasant to your soul,
11 Discretion will preserve you;
(C)Understanding will keep you,
12 To deliver you from the way of evil,
From the man who speaks perverse things,
13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness
To (D)walk in the ways of darkness;
14 (E)Who rejoice in doing evil,
And delight in the perversity of the wicked;
15 (F)Whose ways are crooked,
And who are devious in their paths;
16 To deliver you from (G)the immoral woman,
(H)From the seductress who flatters with her words,
17 Who forsakes the companion of her youth,
And forgets the covenant of her God.
18 For (I)her house [a]leads down to death,
And her paths to the dead;
19 None who go to her return,
Nor do they [b]regain the paths of life—
20 So you may walk in the way of goodness,
And keep to the paths of righteousness.
21 For the upright will dwell in the (J)land,
And the blameless will remain in it;
22 But the wicked will be [c]cut off from the [d]earth,
And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 2:18 sinks
  2. Proverbs 2:19 Lit. reach
  3. Proverbs 2:22 destroyed
  4. Proverbs 2:22 land

He layeth up sound wisdom for the upright;
[a]He is a shield to them that walk in integrity;
[b]That he may guard the paths of justice,
[c]And preserve the way of his saints.
Then shalt thou understand righteousness and justice,
And equity, yea, every good path.
10 For wisdom shall enter into thy heart,
And knowledge shall be pleasant unto thy soul;
11 Discretion shall watch over thee;
Understanding shall keep thee:
12 To deliver thee from the way of [d]evil,
From the men that speak perverse things;
13 Who forsake the paths of uprightness,
To walk in the ways of darkness;
14 Who rejoice to do evil,
And delight in the perverseness of [e]evil;
15 Who are crooked in their ways,
And wayward in their paths:
16 To deliver thee from the strange woman,
Even from the foreigner that [f]flattereth with her words;
17 That forsaketh the [g]friend of her youth,
And forgetteth the covenant of her God:
18 For [h]her house inclineth unto death,
And her paths unto [i]the dead;
19 None that go unto her return again,
Neither do they attain unto the paths of life:
20 That thou mayest walk in the way of good men,
And keep the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright shall dwell in the [j]land,
And the perfect shall remain in it.
22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the land,
[k]And the treacherous shall be rooted out of it.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 2:7 Or, And a shield for etc.
  2. Proverbs 2:8 Or, That they may keep
  3. Proverbs 2:8 Or, Yea, he preserveth
  4. Proverbs 2:12 Or, the evil man
  5. Proverbs 2:14 Or, the evil man
  6. Proverbs 2:16 Hebrew maketh smooth her words.
  7. Proverbs 2:17 Or, guide
  8. Proverbs 2:18 Or, she sinketh down unto death, which is her house
  9. Proverbs 2:18 Or, the shades. Hebrew Rephaim.
  10. Proverbs 2:21 Or, earth
  11. Proverbs 2:22 Or, earth

Beware of Adultery

20 (A)My son, keep your father’s command,
And do not forsake the law of your mother.
21 (B)Bind them continually upon your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
22 (C)When you roam, [a]they will lead you;
When you sleep, (D)they will keep you;
And when you awake, they will speak with you.
23 (E)For the commandment is a lamp,
And the law a light;
Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,
24 (F)To keep you from the evil woman,
From the flattering tongue of a seductress.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 6:22 Lit. it

20 My son, keep the commandment of thy father,
And forsake not the [a]law of thy mother:
21 Bind them continually upon thy heart;
Tie them about thy neck.
22 When thou walkest, it shall lead thee;
When thou [b]sleepest, it shall watch over thee;
And when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
23 For [c]the commandment is a lamp; and [d]the law is light;
And reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
24 To keep thee from the evil woman,
From the flattery of the foreigner’s tongue.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 6:20 Or, teaching
  2. Proverbs 6:22 Hebrew liest down.
  3. Proverbs 6:23 Or, their commandment
  4. Proverbs 6:23 Or, their teaching

The Wiles of a Harlot

My son, keep my words,
And (A)treasure my commands within you.
(B)Keep my commands and live,
(C)And my law as the apple of your eye.
(D)Bind them on your fingers;
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your nearest kin,
(E)That they may keep you from the immoral woman,
From the seductress who flatters with her words.

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My son, keep my words,
And lay up my commandments with thee.
Keep my commandments and live;
And my law as the apple of thine eye.
Bind them upon thy fingers;
Write them upon the tablet of thy heart.
Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister;
And call understanding thy [a]kinswoman:
That they may keep thee from the strange woman,
From the foreigner that [b]flattereth with her words.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 7:4 Or, familiar friend
  2. Proverbs 7:5 Hebrew maketh smooth her words.

19 (A)In the multitude of words sin is not lacking,
But (B)he who restrains his lips is wise.

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19 In the multitude of words there wanteth not transgression;
But he that refraineth his lips [a]doeth wisely.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:19 Or, is wise

In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride,
(A)But the lips of the wise will preserve them.

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In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his pride;
But the lips of the wise shall preserve them.

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

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 18:10 secure, lit. set on high

10 The name of Jehovah is a strong tower;
The righteous runneth into it, and [a]is safe.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 18:10 Hebrew is set on high.

23 (A)Whoever guards his mouth and tongue
Keeps his soul from troubles.

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23 Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue
Keepeth his soul from troubles.

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Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;
He who guards his soul will be far from them.

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Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse:
He that keepeth his soul shall be far from them.

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24 Make no friendship with an angry man,
And with a (A)furious man do not go,
25 Lest you learn his ways
And set a snare for your soul.

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24 Make no friendship with a man that is given to anger;
And with a wrathful man thou shalt not go:
25 Lest thou learn his ways,
And get a snare to thy soul.

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