Proverbs 2

¹[My] son, if thou wilt receive the utterance of my commandment, and hide it with thee;

¹[My] son, if you will receive the utterance of my commandment, and hide it with you;

²thine ear shall hearken to wisdom; thou shalt also apply thine heart to understanding, and shalt apply it to the instruction of thy son.

²your ear shall listen to wisdom; you shall also apply your heart to understanding, and shall apply it to the instruction of your son.

³For if thou shalt call to wisdom, and utter thy voice for understanding;

³For if you shall call to wisdom, and utter your voice for understanding;

⁴and if thou shalt seek it as silver, and search diligently for it as for treasures;

⁴and if you shall seek it as silver, and search diligently for it as for treasures;

⁵then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

⁵then shall you understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

⁶For the Lord gives wisdom; and from his presence [come] knowledge and understanding,

⁷and he treasures up salvation for them that walk uprightly: he will protect their way;

⁸that he may guard the righteous ways: and he will preserve the way of them that fear him.

⁹Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment; and shalt direct all thy course aright.

⁹Then shall you understand righteousness, and judgment; and shall direct all your course aright.

¹⁰For if wisdom shall come into thine understanding, and discernment shall seem pleasing to thy soul,

¹⁰For if wisdom shall come into your understanding, and discernment shall seem pleasing to your soul,

¹¹good counsel shall guard thee, and holy understanding shall keep thee;

¹¹good counsel shall guard you, and holy understanding shall keep you;

¹²to deliver thee from the evil way, and from the man that speaks nothing faithfully.

¹²to deliver you from the evil way, and from the man that speaks nothing faithfully.

¹³Alas [for those] who forsake right paths, to walk in ways of darkness;

¹⁴who rejoice in evils, and delight in wicked perverseness;

¹⁵whose paths are crooked, and their courses winding;

¹⁶to remove thee far from the straight way, and to estrange thee from a righteous purpose. [My] son, let not evil counsel overtake thee,

¹⁶to remove you far from the straight way, and to estrange you from a righteous purpose. [My] son, let not evil counsel overtake you,

¹⁷[of her] who has forsaken the instruction of her youth, and forgotten the covenant of God.

¹⁸For she has fixed her house near death, and [guided] her wheels near Hades with the giants.

¹⁹None that go by her shall return, neither shall they take hold of right paths, for they are not apprehended of the years of life.

²⁰For had they gone in good paths, they would have found the paths of righteousness easy.

²¹For the upright shall dwell in the earth, and the holy shall be left behind in it.

²²The paths of the ungodly shall perish out of the earth, and transgressors shall be driven away from it.