The Benefits of Wisdom

¹ My son, if you accept my words

and hide my commandments^* within you,

² if you incline your ear to wisdom

and direct your heart to understanding,

³ if you truly call out to insight

and lift your voice to understanding,

⁴ if you seek it like silver

and search it out^* like hidden treasure,

⁵ then you will discern the fear of the LORD

and discover the knowledge of God.

⁶ For the LORD gives wisdom;

from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

⁷ He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;

He is a shield to those who walk with integrity,

⁸ to guard the paths of justice

and protect the way of His saints.

⁹ Then you will discern righteousness

and justice and equity— every good path.

¹⁰ For wisdom will enter your heart,

and knowledge will delight your soul.

¹¹ Discretion will watch over you,

and understanding will guard you,

¹² to deliver you from the way of evil,

from the man who speaks perversity,

¹³ from those who leave the straight paths

to walk in the ways of darkness,

¹⁴ from those who enjoy^* doing evil

and rejoice in the twistedness of evil,

¹⁵ whose paths are crooked

and whose ways are devious.

¹⁶ It will rescue you from the forbidden^* woman,

from the stranger with seductive words

¹⁷ who abandons the partner of her youth

and forgets the covenant of her God.

¹⁸ For her house sinks down to death,

and her tracks to the departed spirits.

¹⁹ None who go to her return

or negotiate the paths of life.

²⁰ So you will follow in the ways of the good,

and keep to the paths of the righteous.

²¹ For the upright will inhabit the land,

and the blameless will remain in it;

²² but the wicked will be cut off from the land,

and the unfaithful will be uprooted.