Proverbs 2:7-22
New Living Translation
7 He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest.
He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.
8 He guards the paths of the just
and protects those who are faithful to him.
9 Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair,
and you will find the right way to go.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will fill you with joy.
11 Wise choices will watch over you.
Understanding will keep you safe.
12 Wisdom will save you from evil people,
from those whose words are twisted.
13 These men turn from the right way
to walk down dark paths.
14 They take pleasure in doing wrong,
and they enjoy the twisted ways of evil.
15 Their actions are crooked,
and their ways are wrong.
16 Wisdom will save you from the immoral woman,
from the seductive words of the promiscuous woman.
17 She has abandoned her husband
and ignores the covenant she made before God.
18 Entering her house leads to death;
it is the road to the grave.[a]
19 The man who visits her is doomed.
He will never reach the paths of life.
20 So follow the steps of the good,
and stay on the paths of the righteous.
21 For only the godly will live in the land,
and those with integrity will remain in it.
22 But the wicked will be removed from the land,
and the treacherous will be uprooted.
Footnotes
- 2:18 Hebrew to the spirits of the dead.
Proverbs 2:7-22
Living Bible
7-8 He grants good sense to the godly—his saints. He is their shield, protecting them and guarding their pathway. 9 He shows how to distinguish right from wrong, how to find the right decision every time. 10 For wisdom and truth will enter the very center of your being, filling your life with joy. 11-13 You will be given the sense to stay away from evil men who want you to be their partners in crime—men who turn from God’s ways to walk down dark and evil paths 14 and exult in doing wrong, for they thoroughly enjoy their sins. 15 Everything they do is crooked and wrong.
16-17 Only wisdom from the Lord can save a man from the flattery of prostitutes; these girls have abandoned their husbands and flouted the laws of God. 18 Their houses lie along the road to death and hell. 19 The men who enter them are doomed. None of these men will ever be the same again.[a]
20 Follow the steps of the godly instead, and stay on the right path, 21 for only good men enjoy life to the full;[b] 22 evil men lose the good things they might have had,[c] and they themselves shall be destroyed.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Proverbs 2:19 will ever be the same again, literally, “will ever return to the ways of life.”
- Proverbs 2:21 enjoy life to the full, literally, “shall dwell in the land.”
- Proverbs 2:22 lose the good things they might have had, literally, “shall be cut off from the land.”
Proverbs 6:20-24
New Living Translation
20 My son, obey your father’s commands,
and don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.
21 Keep their words always in your heart.
Tie them around your neck.
22 When you walk, their counsel will lead you.
When you sleep, they will protect you.
When you wake up, they will advise you.
23 For their command is a lamp
and their instruction a light;
their corrective discipline
is the way to life.
24 It will keep you from the immoral woman,
from the smooth tongue of a promiscuous woman.
Proverbs 6:20-24
Living Bible
20 Young man, obey your father and your mother. 21 Take to heart all of their advice; keep in mind everything they tell you. 22 Every day and all night long their counsel will lead you and save you from harm; when you wake up in the morning, let their instructions guide you into the new day. 23 For their advice is a beam of light directed into the dark corners of your mind to warn you of danger and to give you a good life. 24 Their counsel will keep you far away from prostitutes, with all their flatteries, and unfaithful wives of other men.
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Proverbs 7:1-5
New Living Translation
Another Warning about Immoral Women
7 Follow my advice, my son;
always treasure my commands.
2 Obey my commands and live!
Guard my instructions as you guard your own eyes.[a]
3 Tie them on your fingers as a reminder.
Write them deep within your heart.
4 Love wisdom like a sister;
make insight a beloved member of your family.
5 Let them protect you from an affair with an immoral woman,
from listening to the flattery of a promiscuous woman.
Footnotes
- 7:2 Hebrew as the pupil of your eye.
Proverbs 7:1-5
Living Bible
7 Follow my advice, my son; always keep it in mind and stick to it. 2 Obey me and live! Guard my words as your most precious possession. 3 Write them down,[a] and also keep them deep within your heart. 4 Love wisdom like a sweetheart; make her a beloved member of your family. 5 Let her hold you back from affairs with other women—from listening to their flattery.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Proverbs 7:3 Write them down, literally, “Bind them upon your fingers.”
Proverbs 10:19
New Living Translation
19 Too much talk leads to sin.
Be sensible and keep your mouth shut.
Proverbs 10:19
Living Bible
19 Don’t talk so much. You keep putting your foot in your mouth. Be sensible and turn off the flow!
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Proverbs 14:3
New Living Translation
3 A fool’s proud talk becomes a rod that beats him,
but the words of the wise keep them safe.
Proverbs 14:3
Living Bible
3 A rebel’s foolish talk should prick his own pride! But the wise man’s speech is respected.
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Proverbs 18:10
New Living Translation
10 The name of the Lord is a strong fortress;
the godly run to him and are safe.
Proverbs 18:10
Living Bible
10 The Lord[a] is a strong fortress. The godly run to him and are safe.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Proverbs 18:10 The Lord, literally, “The name of the Lord.”
Proverbs 21:23
New Living Translation
23 Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut,
and you will stay out of trouble.
Proverbs 21:23
Living Bible
23 Keep your mouth closed and you’ll stay out of trouble.
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Proverbs 22:5
New Living Translation
5 Corrupt people walk a thorny, treacherous road;
whoever values life will avoid it.
Proverbs 22:5
Living Bible
5 The rebel walks a thorny, treacherous road; the man who values his soul will stay away.
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Proverbs 22:24-25
New Living Translation
24 Don’t befriend angry people
or associate with hot-tempered people,
25 or you will learn to be like them
and endanger your soul.
Proverbs 22:24-25
Living Bible
24-25 Keep away from angry, short-tempered men, lest you learn to be like them and endanger your soul.
Read full chapterHoly Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.