Proverbs 2-3

2My child, if you accept my words
and treasure up my commandments within you,
²making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
³if you indeed cry out for insight,
and raise your voice for understanding;
⁴if you seek it like silver,
and search for it as for hidden treasures—
⁵then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
⁶For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
⁷he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is a shield to those who walk blamelessly,
⁸guarding the paths of justice
and preserving the way of his faithful ones.
⁹Then you will understand righteousness and justice
and equity, every good path;
¹⁰for wisdom will come into your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
¹¹prudence will watch over you;
and understanding will guard you.
¹²It will save you from the way of evil,
from those who speak perversely,
¹³who forsake the paths of uprightness
to walk in the ways of darkness,
¹⁴who rejoice in doing evil
and delight in the perverseness of evil;
¹⁵those whose paths are crooked,
and who are devious in their ways. ¹⁶You will be saved from the loose woman,
from the adulteress with her smooth words,
¹⁷who forsakes the partner of her youth
and forgets her sacred covenant;
¹⁸for her way leads down to death,
and her paths to the shades;
¹⁹those who go to her never come back,
nor do they regain the paths of life. ²⁰Therefore walk in the way of the good,
and keep to the paths of the just.
²¹For the upright will abide in the land,
and the innocent will remain in it;
²²but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.
3My child, do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commandments;
²for length of days and years of life
and abundant welfare they will give you. ³Do not let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
⁴So you will find favor and good repute
in the sight of God and of people. ⁵Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own insight.
⁶In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
⁷Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
⁸It will be a healing for your flesh
and a refreshment for your body. ⁹Honor the Lord with your substance
and with the first fruits of all your produce;
¹⁰then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine. ¹¹My child, do not despise the Lord’s discipline
or be weary of his reproof,
¹²for the Lord reproves the one he loves,
as a father the son in whom he delights. ¹³Happy are those who find wisdom,
and those who get understanding,
¹⁴for her income is better than silver,
and her revenue better than gold.
¹⁵She is more precious than jewels,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.
¹⁶Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.
¹⁷Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
and all her paths are peace.
¹⁸She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;
those who hold her fast are called happy. ¹⁹The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
by understanding he established the heavens;
²⁰by his knowledge the deeps broke open,
and the clouds drop down the dew.

²¹My child, do not let these escape from your sight:
keep sound wisdom and prudence,
²²and they will be life for your soul
and adornment for your neck.
²³Then you will walk on your way securely
and your foot will not stumble.
²⁴If you sit down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
²⁵Do not be afraid of sudden panic,
or of the storm that strikes the wicked;
²⁶for the Lord will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being caught. ²⁷Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to do it.
²⁸Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,
tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.
²⁹Do not plan harm against your neighbor
who lives trustingly beside you.
³⁰Do not quarrel with anyone without cause,
when no harm has been done to you.
³¹Do not envy the violent
and do not choose any of their ways;
³²for the perverse are an abomination to the Lord,
but the upright are in his confidence.
³³The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the abode of the righteous.
³⁴Toward the scorners he is scornful,
but to the humble he shows favor.
³⁵The wise will inherit honor,
but stubborn fools, disgrace.

From the oremus Bible Browser https://bible.oremus.org v2.9.2 30 June 2021.