2:1

בְּנִי אִם־תִּקַּח אֲמָרָי וּמִצְוֺתַי תִּצְפֹּן אִתָּךְ׃

My son, if thou wilt receive my words, And lay up my commandments with thee;

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2:2

לְהַקְשִׁיב לַחָכְמָה אָזְנֶךָ תַּטֶּה לִבְּךָ לַתְּבוּנָה׃

So that thou make thine ear attend unto wisdom, And thy heart incline to discernment;

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2:3

כִּי אִם לַבִּינָה תִקְרָא לַתְּבוּנָה תִּתֵּן קוֹלֶךָ׃

Yea, if thou call for understanding, And lift up thy voice for discernment;

2:4

אִם־תְּבַקְשֶׁנָּה כַכָּסֶף וְכַמַּטְמוֹנִים תַּחְפְּשֶׂנָּה׃

If thou seek her as silver, And search for her as for hid treasures;

2:5

אָז תָּבִין יִרְאַת יְהוָה וְדַעַת אֱלֹהִים תִּמְצָא׃

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

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2:6

כִּי־יְהוָה יִתֵּן חָכְמָה מִפִּיו דַּעַת וּתְבוּנָה׃

For the LORD giveth wisdom, Out of His mouth cometh knowledge and discernment;

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2:7

וצפן [יִצְפֹּן] לַיְשָׁרִים תּוּשִׁיָּה מָגֵן לְהֹלְכֵי תֹם׃

He layeth up sound wisdom for the upright, He is a shield to them that walk in integrity;

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2:8

לִנְצֹר אָרְחוֹת מִשְׁפָּט וְדֶרֶךְ חסידו [חֲסִידָיו] יִשְׁמֹר׃

That He may guard the paths of justice, And preserve the way of His godly ones. .

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2:9

אָז תָּבִין צֶדֶק וּמִשְׁפָּט וּמֵישָׁרִים כָּל־מַעְגַּל־טוֹב׃

Then shalt thou understand righteousness and justice, And equity, yea, every good path.

2:10

כִּי־תָבוֹא חָכְמָה בְלִבֶּךָ וְדַעַת לְנַפְשְׁךָ יִנְעָם׃

For wisdom shall enter into thy heart, And knowledge shall be pleasant unto thy soul;

2:11

מְזִמָּה תִּשְׁמֹר עָלֶיךָ תְּבוּנָה תִנְצְרֶכָּה׃

Discretion shall watch over thee, Discernment shall guard thee;

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2:12

לְהַצִּילְךָ מִדֶּרֶךְ רָע מֵאִישׁ מְדַבֵּר תַּהְפֻּכוֹת׃

To deliver thee from the way of evil, From the men that speak froward things;

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2:13

הַעֹזְבִים אָרְחוֹת יֹשֶׁר לָלֶכֶת בְּדַרְכֵי־חֹשֶׁךְ׃

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

2:14

הַשְּׂמֵחִים לַעֲשׂוֹת רָע יָגִילוּ בְּתַהְפֻּכוֹת רָע׃

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

2:15

אֲשֶׁר אָרְחֹתֵיהֶם עִקְּשִׁים וּנְלוֹזִים בְּמַעְגְּלוֹתָם׃

Who are crooked in their ways, And perverse in their paths;

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2:16

לְהַצִּילְךָ מֵאִשָּׁה זָרָה מִנָּכְרִיָּה אֲמָרֶיהָ הֶחֱלִיקָה׃

To deliver thee from the strange woman, Even from the alien woman that maketh smooth her words;

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2:17

הַעֹזֶבֶת אַלּוּף נְעוּרֶיהָ וְאֶת־בְּרִית אֱלֹהֶיהָ שָׁכֵחָה׃

That forsaketh the lord of her youth, And forgetteth the covenant of her God.

2:18

כִּי שָׁחָה אֶל־מָוֶת בֵּיתָהּ וְאֶל־רְפָאִים מַעְגְּלֹתֶיהָ׃

For her house sinketh down unto death, And her paths unto the shades;

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2:19

כָּל־בָּאֶיהָ לֹא יְשׁוּבוּן וְלֹא־יַשִּׂיגוּ אָרְחוֹת חַיִּים׃

None that go unto her return, Neither do they attain unto the paths of life;

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2:20

לְמַעַן תֵּלֵךְ בְּדֶרֶךְ טוֹבִים וְאָרְחוֹת צַדִּיקִים תִּשְׁמֹר׃

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

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2:21

כִּי־יְשָׁרִים יִשְׁכְּנוּ אָרֶץ וּתְמִימִים יִוָּתְרוּ בָהּ׃

For the upright shall dwell in the land, And the whole-hearted shall remain in it.

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2:22

וּרְשָׁעִים מֵאֶרֶץ יִכָּרֵתוּ וּבוֹגְדִים יִסְּחוּ מִמֶּנָּה׃

But the wicked shall be cut off from the land, And the faithless shall be plucked up out of it.