2

Nrhav tswvyim tau koob moov

¹Kuv tub 'e, yog koj khaws kuv tej lug ca
hab muab kuv tej lug nkaw ceev
rua huv koj lub sab,
²hab yog koj tig ntsej quas ncuv noog tug tswvyim
hab tig lub sab lug nrhav kev to taub,
³yog koj hu nrhav kev txawj ntse
hab tsaa ncauj thov kev nkaag sab,
⁴yog koj nrhav tswvyim
ib yaam le nrhav tej nyaj,
hab nrhav ib yaam le nrhav tej nyaj txag
kws muab zais ca lawm,
⁵yog koj ua le nuav koj yuav to taub
qhov kws fwm hab paub ntshai Yawmsaub
hab txawj paub txug Vaajtswv.
⁶Tsua qhov Yawmsaub yog tug kws pub tswvyim,
tej kev txawj ntse hab tej kev nkaag sab
yog tawm huv Yawmsaub qhov ncauj lug.
⁷Nwg ceev tug tswvyim⚓ ca
rua cov kws sab ncaaj,
nwg yog daim hlau tiv thaiv
cov kws ua neej dawb huv.
⁸Nwg ceev txujkev ua ncaaj ua nceeg
hab nwg tsom kwm nwg cov tuabneeg dawb huv.
⁹Mas koj yuav paub txujkev ncaaj nceeg
hab kev txav txem ncaaj
hab ua ncaaj nruab nraab
hab paub ua qhov zoo rua txhua faab.
¹⁰Tswvyim yuav nkaag rua huv koj lub sab,
hab kev txawj ntse yuav
ua kuas koj tug ntsuj plig xyiv faab.
¹¹Kev txawj ntse yuav tsom kwm koj,
hab kev to taub yuav tiv thaiv koj,
¹²hab yuav paab koj dim txujkev ua phem,
hab dim cov tuabneeg ntxeev xaiv.
¹³Puab tso txujkev ncaaj nceeg tseg,
taug txujkev tsaus ntuj.
¹⁴Puab yeej zoo sab ua phem
hab nyam tej kev phem ntxeev ntxag,
¹⁵yog cov kws taug txujkev nkhaus,
puab yog tuabneeg sab nkhaus xwb.

¹⁶Koj yuav dim ntawm tug puj plhu tuab,
yog tug puj cov zej cov zog
kws has lug qaab rog qaab ntse,
¹⁷nwg muab nwg tug quasyawg
kws thaus hluas nkauj nwg yuav tso pov tseg,
hab tsw ncu txug tej lug kws nwg cog tseg
rua nwg tug Vaajtswv lawm.
¹⁸Nwg lub tsev yuav coj moog txug txujkev tuag,
nwg tej txujci yuav coj moog rua huv tub tuag teb.
¹⁹Cov kws moog cuag nwg
tsw muaj ib tug rov qaab lug le,
tsw muaj ib tug kws yuav rov lug
taug tau txujkev kws caj sa.

²⁰Yog le ntawd koj yuav tsum taug
cov tuabneeg zoo txujkev,
hab coj lawv le cov tuabneeg
ncaaj nceeg tug cujpwm,
²¹tsua qhov cov kws sab ncaaj
yuav tau nyob huv lub tebchaws,
hab cov kws ua sab dawb paug
yuav tau nyob ruaj rua huv.
²²Tassws cov tuabneeg limham
yuav raug muab txav tu huv lub tebchaws,
hab cov tuabneeg ntxeev ntxag
yuav raug muab dob hlo caag.

2

Moral Benefits of Wisdom

¹My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
²turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
³indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
⁴and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
⁵then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
⁶For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
⁷He holds success in store for the upright,
he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
⁸for he guards the course of the just
and protects the way of his faithful ones.

⁹Then you will understand what is right and just
and fair—every good path.
¹⁰For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
¹¹Discretion will protect you,
and understanding will guard you.

¹²Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,
from men whose words are perverse,
¹³who have left the straight paths
to walk in dark ways,
¹⁴who delight in doing wrong
and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,
¹⁵whose paths are crooked
and who are devious in their ways.

¹⁶Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,
from the wayward woman with her seductive words,
¹⁷who has left the partner of her youth
and ignored the covenant she made before God.⚓
¹⁸Surely her house leads down to death
and her paths to the spirits of the dead.
¹⁹None who go to her return
or attain the paths of life.

²⁰Thus you will walk in the ways of the good
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
²¹For the upright will live in the land,
and the blameless will remain in it;
²²but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the unfaithful will be torn from it.