Berean Study Bible | NET Bible |
1My son, if you accept my words and hide my commandments within you, | 1My child, if you receive my words, and store up my commands within you, |
2if you incline your ear to wisdom and direct your heart to understanding, | 2by making your ear attentive to wisdom, and by turning your heart to understanding, |
3if you truly call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding, | 3indeed, if you call out for discernment--raise your voice for understanding-- |
4if you seek it like silver and search it out like hidden treasure, | 4if you seek it like silver, and search for it like hidden treasure, |
5then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God. | 5then you will understand how to fear the LORD, and you will discover knowledge about God. |
6For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. | 6For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. |
7He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk with integrity, | 7He stores up effective counsel for the upright, and is like a shield for those who live with integrity, |
8to guard the paths of justice and protect the way of His saints. | 8to guard the paths of the righteous and to protect the way of his pious ones. |
9Then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity—every good path. | 9Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity--every good way. |
10For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will delight your soul. | 10For wisdom will enter your heart, and moral knowledge will be attractive to you. |
11Discretion will watch over you, and understanding will guard you, | 11Discretion will protect you, understanding will guard you, |
12to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perversity, | 12to deliver you from the way of the wicked, from those speaking perversity, |
13from those who leave the straight paths to walk in the ways of darkness, | 13who leave the upright paths to walk on the dark ways, |
14from those who enjoy doing evil and rejoice in the twistedness of evil, | 14who delight in doing evil, they rejoice in perverse evil; |
15whose paths are crooked and whose ways are devious. | 15whose paths are morally crooked, and who are devious in their ways; |
16It will rescue you from the forbidden woman, from the stranger with seductive words | 16to deliver you from the adulteress, from the sexually loose woman who speaks flattering words; |
17who abandons the partner of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God. | 17who leaves the husband from her younger days, and forgets her marriage covenant made before God. |
18For her house sinks down to death, and her tracks to the departed spirits. | 18For her house sinks down to death, and her paths lead to the place of the departed spirits. |
19None who go to her return or negotiate the paths of life. | 19None who go in to her will return, nor will they reach the paths of life. |
20So you will follow in the ways of the good, and keep to the paths of the righteous. | 20So you will walk in the way of good people, and will keep on the paths of the righteous. |
21For the upright will inhabit the land, and the blameless will remain in it; | 21For the upright will reside in the land, and those with integrity will remain in it, |
22but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be uprooted. | 22but the wicked will be removed from the land, and the treacherous will be torn away from it. |
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