Proverbs 2

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 My child, if you take my words to heart, if you set store by my commandments,	1 My son, if you receive my words and treasure my commands,
2 tuning your ear to wisdom, tuning your heart to understanding,	2 Turning your ear to wisdom, inclining your heart to understanding;
3 yes, if your plea is for clear perception, if you cry out for understanding,	3 Yes, if you call to intelligence, and to understanding raise your voice;
4 if you look for it as though for silver, search for it as though for buried treasure,	4 If you seek her like silver, and like hidden treasures search her out:
5 then you wil understand what the fear of Yahweh is, and discover the knowledge of God.	5 Then will you understand the fear of the LORD; the knowledge of God you will find;
6 For Yahweh himself is giver of wisdom, from his mouth issue knowledge and understanding.	6 For the LORD gives wisdom, from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 He reserves his advice for the honest, a shield to those whose ways are sound;	7 He has counsel in store for the upright, he is the shield of those who walk honestly,
8 he stands guard over the paths of equity, he keeps watch over the way of those faithful to him.	8 Guarding the paths of justice, protecting the way of his pious ones.
9 Then you wil understand uprightness, equity and fair dealing, the paths that lead to happiness.	9 Then you will understand rectitude and justice, honesty, every good path;
10 When wisdom comes into your heart and knowledge fil s your soul with delight,	10 For wisdom will enter your heart, knowledge will please your soul,
11 then prudence wil be there to watch over you, and understanding wil be your guardian	11 Discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you;
12 to keep you from the way that is evil, from those whose speech is deceitful,	12 Saving you from the way of evil men, from men of perverse speech,
13 from those who leave the paths of honesty to walk the roads of darkness:	13 Who leave the straight paths to walk in the way of darkness,
14 those who find their joy in doing wrong, and their delight in deceitfulness,	14 Who delight in doing evil, rejoice in perversity;
15 whose tracks are twisted, and the paths that they tread crooked.	15 Whose ways are crooked, and devious their paths;
16 To keep you, too, from the woman who belongs to another, from the stranger, with her wheedlingwords;	16 Saving you from the wife of another, from the adulteress with her smooth words,
17 she has left the partner of her younger days, she has forgotten the covenant of her God;	17 Who forsakes the companion of her youth and forgets the pact with her God;
18 her house is tilting towards Death, down to the Shades go her paths.	18 For her path sinks down to death, and her footsteps lead to the shades;
19 Of those who go to her not one returns, they never regain the paths of life.	19 None who enter thereon come back again, or gain the paths of life.
20 Thus you wil tread the way of good people, persisting in the paths of the upright.	20 Thus you may walk in the way of good men, and keep to the paths of the just.
21 For the land will be for the honest to live in, the innocent will have it for their home;	21 For the upright will dwell in the land, the honest will remain in it;
22 while the wicked wil be cut off from the land, and the faithless rooted out of it.	22 But the wicked will be cut off from the land, the faithless will be rooted out of it.