Proverbs 2:1–22

¹ My son, if you accept my words and hide my commandments within you, ² if you incline your ear to wisdom and direct your heart to understanding, ³ if you truly call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding, ⁴ if you seek it like silver and search it out like hidden treasure, ⁵ then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God. ⁶ For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. ⁷ He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk with integrity, ⁸ to guard the paths of justice and protect the way of His saints. ⁹ Then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity—every good path. ¹⁰ For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will delight your soul. ¹¹ Discretion will watch over you, and understanding will guard you, ¹² to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perversity, ¹³ from those who leave the straight paths to walk in the ways of darkness, ¹⁴ from those who enjoy doing evil and rejoice in the twistedness of evil, ¹⁵ whose paths are crooked and whose ways are devious. ¹⁶ It will rescue you from the forbidden woman, from the stranger with seductive words ¹⁷ who abandons the partner of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God. ¹⁸ For her house sinks down to death, and her tracks to the departed spirits. ¹⁹ None who go to her return or negotiate the paths of life. ²⁰ So you will follow in the ways of the good, and keep to the paths of the righteous. ²¹ For the upright will inhabit the land, and the blameless will remain in it; ²² but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be uprooted.