The Value of Wisdom
1 My son, if you receive my words,
# Andtreasure my commands within you,
2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
Andapply your heart to understanding;
3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment,
Andlift up your voice for understanding,
4 If you seek her as silver,
And search for her asforhidden treasures;
5 Then you will understand the fear of theLord,
And find the knowledge of God.
6 For theLordgives wisdom;
From His mouthcomeknowledge and understanding;
7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
# Heisa shield to those who walk uprightly;
8 He guards the paths of justice,
# Andpreserves the way of His saints.
9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice,
Equityandevery good path.
10 When wisdom enters your heart,
And knowledge is pleasant to your soul,
11 Discretion will preserve you;
# Understanding will keep you,
12 To deliver you from the way of evil,
From the man who speaks perverse things,
13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness
# Towalk in the ways of darkness;
14 Who rejoice in doing evil,
Anddelight in the perversity of the wicked;
15 Whose waysarecrooked,
Andwhoaredevious in their paths;
16 To deliver you fromthe immoral woman,
# From the seductresswhoflatters with her words,
17 Who forsakes the companion of her youth,
And forgets the covenant of her God.
18 Forher house leads down to death,
And her paths to the dead;
19 None who go to her return,
Nor do they regain the paths of life—
20 So you may walk in the way of goodness,
And keeptothe paths of righteousness.
21 For the upright will dwell in theland,
And the blameless will remain in it;
22 But the wicked will be cut off from the earth,
And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.