| 2:1 | Good friend, take to heart what I'm telling you; collect my counsels and guard them with your life. |
| 2:2 | Tune your ears to the world of Wisdom; set your heart on a life of Understanding. |
| 2:3 | That's right--if you make Insight your priority, and won't take no for an answer, |
| 2:4 | Searching for it like a prospector panning for gold, like an adventurer on a treasure hunt, |
| 2:5 | Believe me, before you know it Fear-of-GOD will be yours; you'll have come upon the Knowledge of God. |
| 2:6 | And here's why: GOD gives out Wisdom free, is plainspoken in Knowledge and Understanding. |
| 2:7 | He's a rich mine of Common Sense for those who live well, a personal bodyguard to the candid and sincere. |
| 2:8 | He keeps his eye on all who live honestly, and pays special attention to his loyally committed ones. |
| 2:9 | So now you can pick out what's true and fair, find all the good trails! |
| 2:10 | Lady Wisdom will be your close friend, and Brother Knowledge your pleasant companion. |
| 2:11 | Good Sense will scout ahead for danger, Insight will keep an eye out for you. |
| 2:12 | They'll keep you from making wrong turns, or following the bad directions |
| 2:13 | Of those who are lost themselves and can't tell a trail from a tumbleweed, |
| 2:14 | These losers who make a game of evil and throw parties to celebrate perversity, |
| 2:15 | Traveling paths that go nowhere, wandering in a maze of detours and dead ends. |
| 2:16 | Wise friends will rescue you from the Temptress--that smooth-talking Seductress |
| 2:17 | Who's faithless to the husband she married years ago, never gave a second thought to her promises before God. |
| 2:18 | Her whole way of life is doomed; every step she takes brings her closer to hell. |
| 2:19 | No one who joins her company ever comes back, ever sets foot on the path to real living. |
| 2:20 | So--join the company of good men and women, keep your feet on the tried and true paths. |
| 2:21 | It's the men who walk straight who will settle this land, the women with integrity who will last here. |
| 2:22 | The corrupt will lose their lives; the dishonest will be gone for good. |
Proverbs 2 - The Message Bible
