Proverbs 2

^1(A) My son,^(B) if you receive my words
   and treasure up my commandments with you,
²making your ear attentive to wisdom
   and inclining your heart to understanding;
³yes, if you call out for insight
   and raise your voice^(C) for understanding,
⁴if you seek it like^(D) silver
   and search for it as for^(E) hidden treasures,
⁵then^(F) you will understand the fear of the LORD
   and find the knowledge of God.
⁶For^(G) the LORD gives wisdom;
   from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
⁷he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
   he is^(H) a shield to those who^(I) walk in integrity,
⁸guarding the paths of justice
   and^(J) watching over the way of his^(K) saints.
^9(L) Then you will understand^(M) righteousness and justice
   and equity, every good path;
¹⁰for wisdom will come into your heart,
   and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
^11(N) discretion will^(O) watch over you,
   understanding will guard you,
¹²delivering you from the way of evil,
   from men of perverted speech,
¹³who forsake the paths of uprightness
   to^(P) walk in the ways of darkness,
¹⁴who^(Q) rejoice in doing evil
   and^(R) delight in the perverseness of evil,
¹⁵men whose^(S) paths are crooked,
   ^(T) and who are^(U) devious in their ways.
 ¹⁶So^(V) you will be delivered from the forbidden^[a] woman,
   from^(W) the adulteress^[b] with^(X) her smooth words,
¹⁷who forsakes^(Y) the companion of her youth
   and forgets^(Z) the covenant of her God;
^18(AA) for her house sinks down to death,
   and her paths to the departed;^[c]
19none who go to her come back,
   nor do they regain the paths of life.
 ²⁰So you will walk in the way of the good
   and keep to the paths of the righteous.
²¹For the upright^(AB) will inhabit the land,
   and those with integrity will remain in it,
²²but the wicked will be^(AC) cut off from the land,
   and the treacherous will be^(AD) rooted out of it.