Proverbs 2

בְּ֭נִי אִם־תִּקַּ֣ח אֲמָרָ֑י וּ֝מִצְוֺתַ֗י תִּצְפֹּ֥ן אִתָּֽךְ׃

My son, if you accept my words and hide my commandments within you,

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

לְהַקְשִׁ֣יב לַֽחָכְמָ֣ה אָזְנֶ֑ךָ תַּטֶּ֥ה לִ֝בְּךָ֗ לַתְּבוּנָֽה׃

if you incline your ear to wisdom and direct your heart to understanding,

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

כִּ֤י אִ֣ם לַבִּינָ֣ה תִקְרָ֑א לַ֝תְּבוּנָ֗ה תִּתֵּ֥ן קוֹלֶֽךָ׃

if you truly call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding,

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

אִם־תְּבַקְשֶׁ֥נָּה כַכָּ֑סֶף וְֽכַמַּטְמוֹנִ֥ים תַּחְפְּשֶֽׂנָּה׃

if you seek it like silver and search it out like hidden treasure,

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

אָ֗ז תָּ֭בִין יִרְאַ֣ת יְהוָ֑ה וְדַ֖עַת אֱלֹהִ֣ים תִּמְצָֽא׃

then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God.

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

כִּֽי־יְ֭הוָה יִתֵּ֣ן חָכְמָ֑ה מִ֝פִּ֗יו דַּ֣עַת וּתְבוּנָֽה׃

For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

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

(וצפן) [יִצְפֹּ֣ן] לַ֭יְשָׁרִים תּוּשִׁיָּ֑ה מָ֝גֵ֗ן לְהֹ֣לְכֵי תֹֽם׃

He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk with integrity,

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

לִ֭נְצֹר אָרְח֣וֹת מִשְׁפָּ֑ט וְדֶ֖רֶךְ (חסידו) [חֲסִידָ֣יו] יִשְׁמֹֽר׃

to guard the paths of justice and protect the way of His saints.

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

אָ֗ז תָּ֭בִין צֶ֣דֶק וּמִשְׁפָּ֑ט וּ֝מֵישָׁרִ֗ים כָּל־מַעְגַּל־טֽוֹב׃

Then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity—every good path.

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

כִּֽי־תָב֣וֹא חָכְמָ֣ה בְלִבֶּ֑ךָ וְ֝דַ֗עַת לְֽנַפְשְׁךָ֥ יִנְעָֽם׃

For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will delight your soul.

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

מְ֭זִמָּה תִּשְׁמֹ֥ר עָלֶ֗יךָ תְּבוּנָ֥ה תִנְצְרֶֽכָּה׃

Discretion will watch over you, and understanding will guard you,

Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:

לְ֭הַצִּ֣ילְךָ מִדֶּ֣רֶךְ רָ֑ע מֵ֝אִ֗ישׁ מְדַבֵּ֥ר תַּהְפֻּכֽוֹת׃

to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perversity,

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

הַ֭עֹ֣זְבִים אָרְח֣וֹת יֹ֑שֶׁר לָ֝לֶ֗כֶת בְּדַרְכֵי־חֹֽשֶׁךְ׃

from those who leave the straight paths to walk in the ways of darkness,

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

הַ֭שְּׂמֵחִים לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת רָ֑ע יָ֝גִ֗ילוּ בְּֽתַהְפֻּכ֥וֹת רָֽע׃

from those who enjoy doing evil and rejoice in the twistedness of evil,

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

אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָרְחֹתֵיהֶ֣ם עִקְּשִׁ֑ים וּ֝נְלוֹזִ֗ים בְּמַעְגְּלוֹתָֽם׃

whose paths are crooked and whose ways are devious.

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

לְ֭הַצִּ֣ילְךָ מֵאִשָּׁ֣ה זָרָ֑ה מִ֝נָּכְרִיָּ֗ה אֲמָרֶ֥יהָ הֶחֱלִֽיקָה׃

It will rescue you from the forbidden woman, from the stranger with seductive words

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

הַ֭עֹזֶבֶת אַלּ֣וּף נְעוּרֶ֑יהָ וְאֶת־בְּרִ֖ית אֱלֹהֶ֣יהָ שָׁכֵֽחָה׃

who abandons the partner of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God.

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

כִּ֤י שָׁ֣חָה אֶל־מָ֣וֶת בֵּיתָ֑הּ וְאֶל־רְ֝פָאִ֗ים מַעְגְּלֹתֶֽיהָ׃

For her house sinks down to death, and her tracks to the departed spirits.

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

כָּל־בָּ֭אֶיהָ לֹ֣א יְשׁוּב֑וּן וְלֹֽא־יַ֝שִּׂ֗יגוּ אָרְח֥וֹת חַיִּֽים׃

None who go to her return or negotiate the paths of life.

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

לְמַ֗עַן תֵּ֭לֵךְ בְּדֶ֣רֶךְ טוֹבִ֑ים וְאָרְח֖וֹת צַדִּיקִ֣ים תִּשְׁמֹֽר׃

So you will follow in the ways of the good, and keep to the paths of the righteous.

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

כִּֽי־יְשָׁרִ֥ים יִשְׁכְּנוּ אָ֑רֶץ וּ֝תְמִימִ֗ים יִוָּ֥תְרוּ בָֽהּ׃

For the upright will inhabit the land, and the blameless will remain in it;

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

וּ֭רְשָׁעִים מֵאֶ֣רֶץ יִכָּרֵ֑תוּ וּ֝בוֹגְדִ֗ים יִסְּח֥וּ מִמֶּֽנָּה׃

but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be uprooted.

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