Proverbs Chapter 2
King James Version (KJV)
Other Translations
asv (asv) - eBible.org engASV USFM
1
In the sight of any bird:
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And these lay wait for their own blood;
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They lurk privily for their own lives.
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So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain;
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It taketh away the life of the owners thereof.
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Wisdom crieth aloud in the street;
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She uttereth her voice in the broad places;
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She crieth in the chief place of concourse;
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At the entrance of the gates,
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In the city, she uttereth her words:
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How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity?
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And scoffers delight them in scoffing,
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And fools hate knowledge?
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Turn you at my reproof:
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Behold, I will pour out my spirit upon you;
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I will make known my words unto you.
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Because I have called, and ye have refused;
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I have stretched out my hand, and no man hath regarded;
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But ye have set at nought all my counsel,
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And would none of my reproof:
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I also will laugh in
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the day of your calamity;
darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext
1
My son, if thou receivest my words, and layest up my commandments with thee,
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so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom [and] thou apply thy heart to understanding;
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yea, if thou criest after discernment [and] liftest up thy voice to understanding;
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if thou seekest her as silver and searchest for her as for hidden treasures:
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then shalt thou understand the fear of Jehovah, and find the knowledge ofGod.
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For Jehovah giveth wisdom; out of his mouth [come] knowledge and understanding.
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He layeth up sound wisdom for the upright; [he] is a shield to them that walk in integrity;
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guarding the paths of just judgment and keeping the way of hisgodly ones.
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Then shalt thou understand righteousness and judgment and equity: every good path.
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When wisdom entereth into thy heart and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul,
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discretion shall keep thee, understanding shall preserve thee:
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To deliver thee from the way of evil, from the man that speaketh froward things;
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[from those] who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;
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who rejoice to do evil, [and] delight in the frowardness of evil;
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whose paths are crooked, and who are perverted in their course:
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To deliver thee from the strange woman, from the stranger who flattereth with her words;
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who forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of herGod;
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— for her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead;
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none that go unto her return again, neither do they attain to the paths of life:
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— that thou mayest walk in the way of the good, and keep the paths of the righteous.
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For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it;
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but the wicked shall be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful shall be plucked up out of it.
lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM
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[My] son, if thou wilt receive the utterance of my commandment, and hide it with thee;
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thine ear shall hearken to wisdom; thou shalt also apply thine heart to understanding, and shalt apply it to the instruction of thy son.
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For if thou shalt call to wisdom, and utter thy voice for understanding;
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and if thou shalt seek it as silver, and search diligently for it as for treasures;
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then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.
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For the Lord gives wisdom; and from his presence [come] knowledge and understanding,
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and he treasures up salvation for them that walk uprightly: he will protect their way;
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that he may guard the righteous ways: and he will preserve the way of them that fear him.
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Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment; and shalt direct all thy course aright.
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For if wisdom shall come into thine understanding, and discernment shall seem pleasing to thy soul,
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good counsel shall guard thee, and holy understanding shall keep thee;
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to deliver thee from the evil way, and from the man that speaks nothing faithfully.
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Alas [for those] who forsake right paths, to walk in ways of darkness;
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who rejoice in evils, and delight in wicked perverseness;
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whose paths are crooked, and their courses winding;
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to remove thee far from the straight way, and to estrange thee from a righteous purpose. [My] son, let not evil counsel overtake thee,
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[of her] who has forsaken the instruction of her youth, and forgotten the covenant of God.
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For she has fixed her house near death, and [guided] her wheels near Hades with the giants.
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None that go by her shall return, neither shall they take hold of right paths, for they are not apprehended of the years of life.
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For had they gone in good paths, they would have found the paths of righteousness easy.
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For the upright shall dwell in the earth, and the holy shall be left behind in it.
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The paths of the ungodly shall perish out of the earth, and transgressors shall be driven away from it.
vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)
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Fili mi, si susceperis sermones meos, et mandata mea absconderis penes te,
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ut audiat sapientiam auris tua: inclina cor tuum ad cognoscendam prudentiam.
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Si enim sapientiam invocaveris, et inclinaveris cor tuum prudentiæ:
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si quæsieris eam quasi pecuniam, et sicut thesauros effoderis illam:
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tunc intelliges timorem Domini, et scientiam Dei invenies:
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quia Dominus dat sapientiam: et ex ore eius prudentia, et scientia.
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Custodiet rectorum salutem, et proteget gradientes simpliciter,
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servans semitas iustitiæ, et vias sanctorum custodiens.
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Tunc intelliges iustitiam, et iudicium, et æquitatem, et omnem semitam bonam.
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Si intraverit sapientia cor tuum, et scientia animæ tuæ placuerit:
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consilium custodiet te, et prudentia servabit te,
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ut eruaris a via mala, et ab homine, qui perversa loquitur:
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qui relinquunt iter rectum, et ambulant per vias tenebrosas:
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qui lætantur cum malefecerint, et exultant in rebus pessimis:
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quorum viæ perversæ sunt, et infames gressus eorum.
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Ut eruaris a muliere aliena, et ab extranea, quæ mollit sermones suos,
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et relinquit ducem pubertatis suæ,
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et pacti Dei sui oblita est. inclinata est enim ad mortem domus eius, et ad inferos semitæ ipsius.
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omnes, qui ingrediuntur ad eam, non revertentur, nec apprehendent semitas vitæ.
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Ut ambules in via bona: et calles iustorum custodias.
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Qui enim recti sunt, habitabunt in terra, et simplices permanebunt in ea.
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Impii vero de terra perdentur: et qui inique agunt, auferentur ex ea.
web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV
1
My son, if you will receive my words, and store up my commandments within you,
2
so as to turn your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding;
3
yes, if you call out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding;
4
if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures;
5
then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.
6
For the LORD gives wisdom. Out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.
7
He lays up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
8
that he may guard the paths of justice, and preserve the way of his saints.
9
Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path.
10
For wisdom will enter into your heart. Knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
11
Discretion will watch over you. Understanding will keep you,
12
to deliver you from the way of evil, from the men who speak perverse things,
13
who forsake the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness,
14
who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the perverseness of evil,
15
who are crooked in their ways, and wayward in their paths,
16
to deliver you from the strange woman, even from the foreigner who flatters with her words,
17
who forsakes the friend of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God;
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for her house leads down to death, her paths to the departed spirits.
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None who go to her return again, neither do they attain to the paths of life.
20
Therefore walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.
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For the upright will dwell in the land. The perfect will remain in it.
22
But the wicked will be cut off from the land. The treacherous will be rooted out of it.
ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8
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My son, if thou dost accept my sayings, And my commands dost lay up with thee,
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To cause thine ear to attend to wisdom, Thou inclinest thy heart to understanding,
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For, if for intelligence thou callest, For understanding givest forth thy voice,
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If thou dost seek her as silver, And as hid treasures searchest for her,
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Then understandest thou fear of Jehovah, And knowledge of God thou findest.
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For Jehovah giveth wisdom, From His mouth knowledge and understanding.
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Even to lay up for the upright substance, A shield for those walking uprightly.
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To keep the paths of judgment, And the way of His saints He preserveth.
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Then understandest thou righteousness, And judgment, and uprightness--every good path.
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For wisdom cometh into thy heart, And knowledge to thy soul is pleasant,
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Thoughtfulness doth watch over thee, Understanding doth keep thee,
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To deliver thee from an evil way, From any speaking froward things,
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Who are forsaking paths of uprightness, To walk in ways of darkness,
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Who are rejoicing to do evil, They delight in frowardness of the wicked,
15
Whose paths <FI>are<Fi> crooked, Yea, they are perverted in their ways.
16
To deliver thee from the strange woman, From the stranger who hath made smooth her sayings,
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Who is forsaking the guide of her youth, And the covenant of her God hath forgotten.
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For her house hath inclined unto death, And unto Rephaim her paths.
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None going in unto her turn back, Nor do they reach the paths of life.
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That thou dost go in the way of the good, And the paths of the righteous dost keep.
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For the upright do inhabit the earth, And the perfect are left in it,
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And the wicked from the earth are cut off, And treacherous dealers plucked out of it!
Explanations by Age Level
Explain Like I'm 5
A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!
Explain Like I'm 10
Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.
Explain Like I'm 15
Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).