Proverbs 2

The Value of Wisdom

1 My son, if you receive my words,
And a treasure my commands within you,
2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding;
3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment,
And lift up your voice for understanding,
4 b If you seek her as silver,
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
5 c Then you will understand the fear of the LORD,
And find the knowledge of God.
6 d For the LORD gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
e He is a shield to those who walk uprightly;
8 He guards the paths of justice,
And f preserves the way of His saints.
9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice,
Equity and every good path.
10 When wisdom enters your heart,
And knowledge is pleasant to your soul,
11 Discretion will preserve you;
g Understanding will keep you,
12 To deliver you from the way of evil,
From the man who speaks perverse things,
13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness
To h walk in the ways of darkness;
14 i Who rejoice in doing evil,
And delight in the perversity of the wicked;
15 j Whose ways are crooked,
And who are devious in their paths;

16 To deliver you from k the immoral woman,
l From the seductress who flatters with her words,
17 Who forsakes the companion of her youth,
And forgets the covenant of her God.
18 For m her house 1 leads down to death,
And her paths to the dead;
19 None who go to her return,
Nor do they 2 regain the paths of life -

20 So you may walk in the way of goodness,
And keep to the paths of righteousness.
21 For the upright will dwell in the n land,
And the blameless will remain in it;
22 But the wicked will be 3 cut off from the 4 earth,
And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.

  1. Cross References
    Proverbs 4:21
    Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart.
  2. Cross References
    Proverbs 3:14
    For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, And her gain than fine gold.
  3. Cross References
    James 1:5
    If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
    James 1:6
    But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
  4. Cross References
    1 Kings 3:9
    "Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?"
    1 Kings 3:12
    Behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.
    Job 32:8
    But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.
    James 1:5
    If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
  5. Cross References
    Psalms 84:11
    For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.
    Proverbs 30:5
    Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.
  6. Cross References
    1 Samuel 2:9
    He will guard the feet of His saints, But the wicked shall be silent in darkness. "For by strength no man shall prevail.
    Psalms 66:9
    Who keeps our soul among the living, And does not allow our feet to be moved.
  7. Cross References
    Proverbs 4:6
    Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you.
    Proverbs 6:22
    When you roam, they will lead you; When you sleep, they will keep you; And when you awake, they will speak with you.
  8. Cross References
    Psalms 82:5
    They do not know, nor do they understand; They walk about in darkness; All the foundations of the earth are unstable.
    Proverbs 4:19
    The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble.
    John 3:19
    And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
    John 3:20
    For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
  9. Cross References
    Proverbs 10:23
    To do evil is like sport to a fool, But a man of understanding has wisdom.
    Jeremiah 11:15
    What has My beloved to do in My house, Having done lewd deeds with many? And the holy flesh has passed from you. When you do evil, then you rejoice.
    Romans 1:32
    Who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
  10. Cross References
    Psalms 125:5
    As for such as turn aside to their crooked ways, The LORD shall lead them away With the workers of iniquity. Peace be upon Israel!
    Proverbs 21:8
    The way of a guilty man is perverse; But as for the pure, his work is right.
  11. Cross References
    Proverbs 5:20
    For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman, And be embraced in the arms of a seductress?
    Proverbs 6:24
    To keep you from the evil woman, From the flattering tongue of a seductress.
    Proverbs 7:5
    That they may keep you from the immoral woman, From the seductress who flatters with her words.
  12. Cross References
    Proverbs 5:3
    For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil.
  13. Cross References
    Proverbs 7:27
    Her house is the way to hell, Descending to the chambers of death.
  14. Cross References
    Psalms 37:3
    Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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