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Proverbs 2

My son, if you receive my words and store up my commandments within you, turn your ear towards wisdom and set your heart on understanding. Yes, cry out for knowledge and raise your voice for understanding. Seek it like silver; search for it like buried treasure.

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Look for it like silver

My son, if you receive my words and store up my commandments within you, turn your ear towards wisdom and set your heart on understanding. Yes, cry out for knowledge and raise your voice for understanding. Seek it like silver; search for it like buried treasure. Then you'll understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; knowledge and understanding come from his mouth. He stores up sound wisdom for the righteous; he is a shield to those who walk uprightly. He guards the paths of judgment and preserves the way of his saints. Then you'll understand righteousness, judgment and fairness—every good path. When wisdom enters your heart and knowledge becomes pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you and understanding will keep you, delivering you from the way of evil men and from those who speak twisted things, who leave the paths of uprightness to follow the ways of darkness, who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perversity of the wicked, whose ways are crooked and whose paths are twisted. Wisdom will also deliver you from the strange woman, from the stranger who flatters with her words, who leaves the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God. Her house slopes towards death, and her paths lead to the dead. None who go to her return to take hold of the paths of life. So walk in the way of good people and keep to the paths of the righteous. The upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it. But the wicked will be cut off from the earth, and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.

My son, if you'll take my words and store up my orders with you, so you turn your ear to wisdom and bend your heart to understanding — yes, if you cry out for knowledge and lift up your voice for understanding, if you look for it like silver and search for it like hidden treasure — then you'll understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. Because the Lord gives wisdom. Out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. He lays up sound wisdom for the straight. He's a shield to the ones who walk uprightly. He keeps the paths of judgment and looks after the way of his holy ones. Then you'll understand righteousness and judgment and fairness — yes, every good path. When wisdom comes into your heart and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, good thinking will keep you, understanding will look after you — to rescue you from the way of the evil man, from the man who speaks twisted things, who leaves the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness, who's glad to do evil and takes delight in the twistedness of the wicked — whose ways are crooked and who are twisted in their paths — to rescue you from the strange woman, from the foreigner who flatters with her words, who leaves the mate of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God. Because her house sinks down to death, and her paths to the dead. None who go to her come back, and they don't take hold of the paths of life. So you'll walk in the way of good men and keep the paths of the righteous. Because the upright will live in the land, and the whole ones will stay in it. But the wicked will be cut off from the earth, and the ones who deal treacherously will be rooted out of it.

My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path. When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things; Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked; Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths: To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God. For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life. That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous. For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

1

My son, if you receive my words and store up my commandments within you,

Plain English

My son, if you'll take my words and store up my orders with you,

King James Version, 1611

My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;

2

turn your ear towards wisdom and set your heart on understanding.

Plain English

so you turn your ear to wisdom and bend your heart to understanding —

King James Version, 1611

So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;

3

Yes, cry out for knowledge and raise your voice for understanding.

Plain English

yes, if you cry out for knowledge and lift up your voice for understanding,

King James Version, 1611

Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;

4

Seek it like silver; search for it like buried treasure.

Plain English

if you look for it like silver and search for it like hidden treasure —

King James Version, 1611

If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;

5

Then you'll understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.

Plain English

then you'll understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

King James Version, 1611

Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

6

For the LORD gives wisdom; knowledge and understanding come from his mouth.

Plain English

Because the Lord gives wisdom. Out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.

King James Version, 1611

For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

7

He stores up sound wisdom for the righteous; he is a shield to those who walk uprightly.

Plain English

He lays up sound wisdom for the straight. He's a shield to the ones who walk uprightly.

King James Version, 1611

He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.

8

He guards the paths of judgment and preserves the way of his saints.

Plain English

He keeps the paths of judgment and looks after the way of his holy ones.

King James Version, 1611

He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.

9

Then you'll understand righteousness, judgment and fairness—every good path.

Plain English

Then you'll understand righteousness and judgment and fairness — yes, every good path.

King James Version, 1611

Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.

10

When wisdom enters your heart and knowledge becomes pleasant to your soul,

Plain English

When wisdom comes into your heart and knowledge is pleasant to your soul,

King James Version, 1611

When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;

11

discretion will preserve you and understanding will keep you,

Plain English

good thinking will keep you, understanding will look after you —

King James Version, 1611

Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:

12

delivering you from the way of evil men and from those who speak twisted things,

Plain English

to rescue you from the way of the evil man, from the man who speaks twisted things,

King James Version, 1611

To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;

13

who leave the paths of uprightness to follow the ways of darkness,

Plain English

who leaves the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness,

King James Version, 1611

Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;

14

who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perversity of the wicked,

Plain English

who's glad to do evil and takes delight in the twistedness of the wicked —

King James Version, 1611

Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;

15

whose ways are crooked and whose paths are twisted.

Plain English

whose ways are crooked and who are twisted in their paths —

King James Version, 1611

Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths:

16

Wisdom will also deliver you from the strange woman, from the stranger who flatters with her words,

Plain English

to rescue you from the strange woman, from the foreigner who flatters with her words,

King James Version, 1611

To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;

17

who leaves the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God.

Plain English

who leaves the mate of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God.

King James Version, 1611

Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.

18

Her house slopes towards death, and her paths lead to the dead.

Plain English

Because her house sinks down to death, and her paths to the dead.

King James Version, 1611

For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.

19

None who go to her return to take hold of the paths of life.

Plain English

None who go to her come back, and they don't take hold of the paths of life.

King James Version, 1611

None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.

20

So walk in the way of good people and keep to the paths of the righteous.

Plain English

So you'll walk in the way of good men and keep the paths of the righteous.

King James Version, 1611

That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.

21

The upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it.

Plain English

Because the upright will live in the land, and the whole ones will stay in it.

King James Version, 1611

For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.

22

But the wicked will be cut off from the earth, and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.

Plain English

But the wicked will be cut off from the earth, and the ones who deal treacherously will be rooted out of it.

King James Version, 1611

But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.