Proverbs 2:7-22
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is a shield to those who walk blamelessly,(A)
8 guarding the paths of justice
and preserving the way of his faithful ones.(B)
9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice
and equity, every good path,(C)
10 for wisdom will come into your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
11 prudence will watch over you,
and understanding will guard you.
12 It will save you from the way of evil,
from those who speak perversely,
13 who forsake the paths of uprightness
to walk in the ways of darkness,(D)
14 who rejoice in doing evil
and delight in the perverseness of evil,(E)
15 those whose paths are crooked
and who are devious in their ways.(F)
16 You will be saved from the loose woman,[a]
from the adulteress[b] with her smooth words,(G)
17 who forsakes the partner of her youth
and forgets her sacred covenant,
18 for her way[c] leads down to death
and her paths to the shades;(H)
19 those who go to her never come back,
nor do they regain the paths of life.
20 Therefore walk in the way of the good,
and keep to the paths of the just.
21 For the upright will abide in the land,
and the innocent will remain in it,(I)
22 but the wicked will be cut off from the earth,
and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.(J)
Proverbs 2:7-22
International Standard Version
7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright
and is a shield to those who walk in integrity—
8 guarding the paths of the just
and protecting the way of his faithful ones.
9 Then you will understand what is right, just,
and upright—every good path.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
11 Discretion[a] will protect you;
understanding will watch over you,
12 delivering you from the way of evil,
from men who speak perverse things,
13 and from those who abandon the right[b] path
to travel along the ways of darkness;
14 who delight in doing evil,
and rejoice in the perverseness of evil;
15 whose paths are crooked
and who are devious in their ways,
16 delivering you from the adulteress,
from the immoral[c] woman with her seductive words,
17 someone who abandoned the companion of her youth
and forgot the covenant of her God.
18 For her house leads down to death,
and her paths down to the realm of the dead.
19 None who go to her return,
nor do they reach the paths of life.
20 This is how you will walk in the way of good men
and will keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will live in the land,
and people of integrity will remain in it.
22 But the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the treacherous will be uprooted from it.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 2:11 Or Wise planning
- Proverbs 2:13 Lit. straight or upright
- Proverbs 2:16 Lit. foreign; i.e. one whose values are foreign to God’s Law
Proverbs 6:20-24
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
20 My child, keep your father’s commandment,
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.(A)
21 Bind them upon your heart always;
tie them around your neck.(B)
22 When you walk, they[a] will lead you;
when you lie down, they[b] will watch over you;
and when you awake, they[c] will talk with you.(C)
23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,
and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,(D)
24 to preserve you from the wife of another,[d]
from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.[e](E)
Proverbs 6:20-24
International Standard Version
Parental Counsel about Immorality
20 Keep your father’s commands, my son,
and never forsake your mother’s rules,[a]
21 by binding them to your heart continuously,
fastening them around your neck.
22 During your travels wisdom[b] will lead you;
she will watch over you while you rest;
and when you are startled from your sleep,
she will commune with you.
23 Because the command is a lamp
and the Law a light,
rebukes that discipline are a way of life—
24 to protect you from the evil[c] woman,
from the words of the seductive woman.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 6:20 Or laws
- Proverbs 6:22 Lit. wisdom; i.e. wisdom personified as a woman
- Proverbs 6:24 So MT; LXX reads married
Proverbs 7:1-5
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The False Attractions of Adultery
7 My child, keep my words
and store up my commandments with you;(A)
2 keep my commandments and live;
keep my teachings as the apple[a] of your eye;(B)
3 bind them on your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.(C)
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call insight your intimate friend,
5 that they may keep you from the loose woman,[b]
from the adulteress[c] with her smooth words.(D)
Proverbs 7:1-5
International Standard Version
On Avoiding the Immoral Woman
7 My son, guard what I say
and treasure my commands.
2 Keep my commands and you’ll live.
Guard[a] my teaching as you do your eyesight.
3 Strap them to your fingers
and engrave them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You’re my sister!”
and call understanding your close relative,
5 so they can keep you from an adulterous woman,
from the immoral woman with her seductive words.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 7:2 The Heb. lacks Guard
Proverbs 10:19
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
19 When words are many, transgression is not lacking,
but the prudent are restrained in speech.(A)
Proverbs 10:19
International Standard Version
19 Transgression is at work where people talk too much,
but anyone who holds his tongue is prudent.
Proverbs 14:3
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Footnotes
- 14.3 Cn: Heb a rod of pride
Proverbs 14:3
International Standard Version
3 What a fool says brings[a] a rod to his back,
but the words of the wise protect them.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 14:3 Lit. The mouth of the fool
Proverbs 18:10
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
the righteous run into it and are safe.(A)
Proverbs 18:10
International Standard Version
10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
a righteous person rushes to it and is lifted up above the danger.[a]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 18:10 The Heb. lacks above the danger
Proverbs 21:23
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
23 To watch over mouth and tongue
is to keep out of trouble.(A)
Proverbs 21:23
International Standard Version
23 Whoever watches his mouth and tongue
keeps himself from trouble.
Proverbs 22:5
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;
the cautious will keep far from them.(A)
Proverbs 22:5
International Standard Version
5 Thorns and snares lie in the path of the perverse person,
but whoever is cautious stays far away from them.
Proverbs 22:24-25
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
24 Make no friends with those given to anger,
and do not associate with hotheads,
25 lest you learn their ways
and entangle yourself in a snare.
Proverbs 22:24-25
International Standard Version
24 Don’t make friends with a hot-tempered man,
and do not associate with someone who is easily angered,
25 or you may learn his ways
and find yourself caught in a trap.
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