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Wisdom Brings Safety

¹ My son, if you receive my sayings and store up my teachings within you, ² make your ear open to wisdom. Turn your heart to understanding. ³ If you cry out to know right from wrong, and lift your voice for understanding; ⁴ if you look for her as silver, and look for her as hidden riches; ⁵ then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find what is known of God. ⁶ For the Lord gives wisdom. Much learning and understanding come from His mouth. ⁷ He stores up perfect wisdom for those who are right with Him. He is a safe-covering to those who are right in their walk. ⁸ He watches over the right way, and He keeps safe the way of those who belong to Him. ⁹ Then you will understand what is right and good, and right from wrong, and you will know what you should do. ¹⁰ For wisdom will come into your heart. And much learning will be pleasing to your soul. ¹¹ Good thinking will keep you safe. Understanding will watch over you. ¹² You will be kept from the sinful man, and from the man who causes much trouble by what he says. ¹³ You will be kept from the man who leaves the right way to walk in the ways of darkness, ¹⁴ from the one who is happy doing wrong, and who finds joy in the way of sin. ¹⁵ His ways are not straight and are not good.

¹⁶ You will be saved from the strange woman, from the sinful woman with her smooth words. ¹⁷ She leaves the husband she had when she was young, and forgets the agreement with her God. ¹⁸ For her house goes down to death, and her steps lead to the dead. ¹⁹ None who go to her return again, and they do not find the paths of life.

²⁰ So may you walk in the way of good men, and keep to the paths of those who are right and good. ²¹ For those who are right with God will live in the land. The men without blame will stay in it, ²² but the sinful will be destroyed from the land, and those who are not faithful will be taken away from it.