Proverbs 2:1-1953 kjv — My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom,…

King James Version

1

My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;

2

So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;

3

Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;

4

If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;

5

Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

6

For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

7

He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.

8

He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.

9

Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.

10

When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;

11

Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:

12

To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;

13

Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;

14

Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;

15

Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths:

16

To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;

17

Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.

18

For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.

19

None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.

20

That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.

21

For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.

22

But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

— Proverbs 2:1-1953, King James Version

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Proverbs 2:1-1953 in Other Translations

3 versions All translations
  • ASV

    “My son, if thou wilt receive my words, And lay up my commandments with thee; So as to incline thine ear unto wisdom, And apply thy heart to understanding; Yea, if thou cry after discernment, And lift up thy voice for understanding; If thou seek her as silver, And search for her as for hid treasures: Then shalt thou understand the fear of Jehovah, And find the knowledge of God. For Jehovah giveth wisdom; Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding: He layeth up sound wisdom for the upright; He isa shield to them that walk in integrity; That he may guard the paths of justice, And preserve the way of his saints. Then shalt thou understand righteousness and justice, And equity, yea, every good path. For wisdom shall enter into thy heart, And knowledge shall be pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall watch over thee; Understanding shall keep thee: To deliver thee from the way of evil, From the men that speak perverse things; Who forsake the paths of uprightness, To walk in the ways of darkness; Who rejoice to do evil, And delight in the perverseness of evil; Who are crooked in their ways, And wayward in their paths: To deliver thee from the strange woman, Even from the foreigner that flattereth with her words; That forsaketh the friend of her youth, And forgetteth the covenant of her God: For her house inclineth unto death, And her paths unto the dead; None that go unto her return again, Neither do they attain unto the paths of life: That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, And keep the paths of the righteous. For the upright shall dwell in the land, And the perfect shall remain in it. But the wicked shall be cut off from the land, And the treacherous shall be rooted out of it. ”

  • WEB

    “My son, if you will receive my words, and store up my commandments within you; So as to turn your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; Yes, if you call out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding; If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures: then you will understand the fear of Yahweh, and find the knowledge of God. For Yahweh gives wisdom. Out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. He lays up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to those who walk in integrity; that he may guard the paths of justice, and preserve the way of his saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path. For wisdom will enter into your heart. Knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will watch over you. Understanding will keep you, to deliver you from the way of evil, from the men who speak perverse things; who forsake the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the perverseness of evil; who are crooked in their ways, and wayward in their paths: To deliver you from the strange woman, even from the foreigner who flatters with her words; who forsakes the friend of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God: for her house leads down to death, her paths to the dead. None who go to her return again, neither do they attain to the paths of life: that you may walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous. For the upright will dwell in the land. The perfect will remain in it. But the wicked will be cut off from the land. The treacherous will be rooted out of it.”

  • NET

    “Benefits of Seeking Wisdom My child, if you receive my words, and store up my commands inside yourself, by making your ear attentive to wisdom, and by turning your heart to understanding, indeed, if you call out for discernment– shout loudly for understanding– if you seek it like silver, and search for it like hidden treasure, then you will understand how to fear the LORD, and you will discover knowledge about God. For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. He stores up effective counsel for the upright, and is like a shield for those who live with integrity, to guard the paths of the righteous and to protect the way of his pious ones. Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity– every good way. For wisdom will enter your heart, and moral knowledge will be attractive to you. Discretion will protect you, understanding will guard you, to deliver you from the way of the wicked, from those speaking perversity, who leave the upright paths to walk on the dark ways, who delight in doing evil, they rejoice in perverse evil; whose paths are morally crooked, and who are devious in their ways; to deliver you from the adulterous woman, from the loose woman who has flattered you with her words; who leaves the husband from her younger days, and has ignored her marriage covenant made before God. For she has set her house by death, and her paths by the place of the departed spirits. None who go in to her will return, nor will they reach the paths of life. So you will walk in the way of good people, and will keep on the paths of the righteous. For the upright will reside in the land, and those with integrity will remain in it, but the wicked will be removed from the land, and the treacherous will be torn away from it.”

Proverbs 2 — Context

1

My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;

2

So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;

3

Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;

4

If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;

5

Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

6

For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

7

He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.

8

He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.

9

Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.

10

When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;

11

Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:

12

To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;

13

Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;

14

Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;

15

Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths:

16

To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;

17

Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.

18

For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.

19

None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.

20

That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.

21

For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.

22

But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

Proverbs 2:1-1953 — Frequently Asked Questions

7 questions
What does Proverbs 2:1-1953 say?
Proverbs 2:1-1953 in the King James Version reads: “My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path. When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things; Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked; Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths: To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God. For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life. That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous. For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it. ”
Where is Proverbs 2:1-1953 in the Bible?
Proverbs 2:1-1953 is found in the Old Testament, in the book of Proverbs, chapter 2, verses 1–1953.
Who wrote Proverbs?
Proverbs is traditionally attributed to Solomon (primarily), with sections by Agur and Lemuel. It was written c. 970–700 BC.
What is the book of Proverbs about?
Proverbs is practical wisdom for everyday life — short, vivid sayings on speech, work, money, friendship, sex, parenting, and the fear of the LORD. It teaches that wisdom is not mere cleverness but a way of walking with God in a complicated world.
What are the major themes of Proverbs?
Proverbs explores themes including Wisdom, Folly, Fear of the LORD, Discipline, Speech, Diligence. These themes shape the meaning and context of Proverbs 2:1-1953.
What translation should I read Proverbs 2:1-1953 in?
Proverbs 2:1-1953 is available on GodsGoodBook in the King James Version (KJV), American Standard Version (ASV), World English Bible (WEB), NET Bible, Young's Literal Translation, Darby Bible, Douay-Rheims Bible, and the Bible in Basic English. Each translation reflects different translation philosophies — use the translation picker on this page to compare them, or browse our full translations directory.
How can I memorize Proverbs 2:1-1953?
Proverbs 2:1-1953 reads (KJV): “My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path. When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things; Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked; Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths: To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God. For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life. That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous. For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it. ” Read it aloud, break it into short phrases, repeat each phrase three times before adding the next, then put the phrases together. Reading it in multiple translations (above) often helps the meaning settle.
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