The Benefits of Wisdom

2 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,[fn]

from the stranger [fn] 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.[fn]

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.