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The Benefits of Wisdom

¹ My son, if you accept my words and hide my commandments within you,² if you incline your ear to wisdom and direct your heart to understanding,³ if you truly call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding,⁴ if you seek it like silver and search it out like hidden treasure,⁵ then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God.⁶ For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.⁷ He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk with integrity,⁸ to guard the paths of justice and protect the way of His saints.⁹ Then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity—every good path.

¹⁰ For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will delight your soul.¹¹ Discretion will watch over you, and understanding will guard you,¹² to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perversity,¹³ from those who leave the straight paths to walk in the ways of darkness,¹⁴ from those who enjoy doing evil and rejoice in the twistedness of evil,¹⁵ whose paths are crooked, and whose ways are devious.¹⁶ It will rescue you from the forbidden woman^(a), from the stranger^(a) with seductive words,¹⁷ who abandons the partner of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God.¹⁸ For her house sinks down to death, and her tracks to the departed spirits^(a).¹⁹ None who go to her return or negotiate the paths of life.²⁰ So you will follow in the ways of good men, and keep to the paths of the righteous.²¹ For the upright will inhabit the land, and the blameless will remain in it;²² but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be uprooted.