New International Version NIV
The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
1 My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you,
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My son, if you will receive my words and store my commands inside you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding—
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paying attention to wisdom inclining your mind toward understanding
3 indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding,
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yes, if you will call for insight and raise your voice for discernment,
4 and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure,
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if you seek it as you would silver and search for it as for hidden treasure -
5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.
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then you will understand the fear of ADONAI and find knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
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For ADONAI gives wisdom; from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.
7 He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
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He stores up common sense for the upright, is a shield to those whose conduct is blameless,
8 for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.
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in order to guard the courses of justice and preserve the way of those faithful to him.
9 Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path.
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Then you will understand righteousness, justice, fairness and every good path.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
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For wisdom will enter your heart, knowledge will be enjoyable for you,
11 Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.
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discretion will watch over you, and discernment will guard you.
12 Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse,
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They will save you from the way of evil and from those who speak deceitfully,
13 who have left the straight paths to walk in dark ways,
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who leave the paths of honesty to walk the ways of darkness,
14 who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,
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who delight in doing evil and take joy in being stubbornly deceitful,
15 whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways.
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from those whose tracks are twisted and whose paths are perverse.
16 Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman, from the wayward woman with her seductive words,
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They will save you from a woman who is a stranger, from a loose woman with smooth talk,
17 who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God.
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who abandons the ruler she had in her youth and forgets the covenant of her God.
18 Surely her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead.
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Her house is sinking toward death, her paths lead to the dead.
19 None who go to her return or attain the paths of life.
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None who go to her return; they never regain the path to life.
20 Thus you will walk in the ways of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous.
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Thus you will walk on the way of good people and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it;
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For the upright will live in the land, the pure-hearted will remain there;
22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be torn from it.
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but the wicked will be cut off from the land, the unfaithful rooted out of it.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.