1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and lay up my commandments with thee; 2 So that thou make thine ear attend unto wisdom, and thy heart incline to discernment; 3 Yea, if thou call for understanding, and lift up thy voice for discernment; 4 If thou seek her as silver, and search for her as for hid treasures; 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD giveth wisdom, out of His mouth cometh knowledge and discernment; 7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the upright, He is a shield to them that walk in integrity; 8 That He may guard the paths of justice, and preserve the way of His godly ones. 9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness and justice, and equity, yea, every good path. 10 For wisdom shall enter into thy heart, and knowledge shall be pleasant unto thy soul; 11 Discretion shall watch over thee, discernment shall guard thee; 12 To deliver thee from the way of evil, from the men that speak froward things; 13 Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of evil; 15 Who are crooked in their ways, and perverse in their paths; 16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the alien woman that maketh smooth her words; 17 That forsaketh the lord of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God. 18 For her house sinketh down unto death, and her paths unto the shades; 19 None that go unto her return, neither do they attain unto the paths of life; 20 That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous. 21 For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the whole-hearted shall remain in it. 22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the land, and the faithless shall be plucked up out of it. | |