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The Pursuit of Wisdom Brings Security

¹ My son, if you will ^(C1)receive my words
And ^(C2)treasure my commandments within you,

^2 (C1)So that your ear is attentive to skillful and godly wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding seeking it conscientiously and striving for it eagerly;

³ Yes, if you cry out for insight,
And lift up your voice for understanding;

⁴ If you seek skillful and godly wisdom as you would ^(C1)silver
And search for her as you would ^(C2)hidden treasures;

⁵ Then you will understand the reverent ^(C1)fear of the LORD that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome
And discover the knowledge of God. ^(VR1)

^6 (C1)For the LORD gives skillful and godly wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

⁷ He stores away sound wisdom for the righteous those who are in right standing with Him;
He is a ^(C1)shield to those who walk in integrity those of honorable character and moral courage,

⁸ He guards the paths of justice;
And He ^(C1)preserves the way of His saints (believers). ^(VR1)

⁹ Then you will understand ^(C1)righteousness and justice in every circumstance
And integrity and every ^(C2)good path.

¹⁰ For skillful and godly ^(C1)wisdom will enter your heart
And ^(C2)knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

¹¹ Discretion will ^(C1)watch over you,
Understanding and discernment will guard you,

¹² To ^(C1)keep you from the way of evil and the evil man,
From the man who speaks ^(C2)perverse things;

¹³ From those who ^(C1)leave the paths of uprightness
To walk in the ^(C2)ways of darkness;

¹⁴ Who ^(C1)find joy in doing evil
And delight in the perversity of evil,

¹⁵ Whose paths are ^(C1)crooked,
And who are devious in their ways;

¹⁶ To ^(C1)keep you from the immoral woman;
From the ^(C2)seductress with her flattering words, ^(VR1)

¹⁷ Who leaves the ^(C1)companion (husband) of her youth,
And forgets the ^(C2)covenant of her God.

¹⁸ For ^(C1)her house leads down to death
And her paths lead to the dead;

¹⁹ None ^(C1)who go to her return again,
Nor do they regain the ^(C2)paths of life—

²⁰ So you will ^(C1)walk in the way of good men that is, those of personal integrity, moral courage and honorable character,
And keep to the ^(C2)paths of the righteous.

²¹ For ^(C1)the upright those who are in right standing with God will live in the land
And those of integrity who are ^(C2)blameless in God's sight will remain in it;

²² But ^(C1)the wicked will be cut off from the land
And ^(C2)the treacherous shall be forcibly ^(C3)uprooted and removed from it.