2:1 | | My son, if you will take my words to your heart, storing up my laws in your mind; |
2:2 | | So that your ear gives attention to wisdom, and your heart is turned to knowledge; |
2:3 | | Truly, if you are crying out for good sense, and your request is for knowledge; |
2:4 | | If you are looking for her as for silver, and searching for her as for stored-up wealth; |
2:5 | | Then the fear of the Lord will be clear to you, and knowledge of God will be yours. |
2:6 | | For the Lord gives wisdom; out of his mouth come knowledge and reason: |
2:7 | | He has salvation stored up for the upright, he is a breastplate to those in whom there is no evil; |
2:8 | | He keeps watch on the ways which are right, and takes care of those who have the fear of him. |
2:9 | | Then you will have knowledge of righteousness and right acting, and upright behaviour, even of every good way. |
2:10 | | For wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasing to your soul; |
2:11 | | Wise purposes will be watching over you, and knowledge will keep you; |
2:12 | | Giving you salvation from the evil man, from those whose words are false; |
2:13 | | Who give up the way of righteousness, to go by dark roads; |
2:14 | | Who take pleasure in wrongdoing, and have joy in the evil designs of the sinner; |
2:15 | | Whose ways are not straight, and whose footsteps are turned to evil: |
2:16 | | To take you out of the power of the strange woman, who says smooth words with her tongue; |
2:17 | | Who is false to the husband of her early years, and does not keep the agreement of her God in mind: |
2:18 | | For her house is on the way down to death; her footsteps go down to the shades: |
2:19 | | Those who go to her do not come back again; their feet do not keep in the ways of life: |
2:20 | | So that you may go in the way of good men, and keep in the footsteps of the upright. |
2:21 | | For the upright will be living in the land, and the good will have it for their heritage. |
2:22 | | But sinners will be cut off from the land, and those whose acts are false will be uprooted. |