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Chapter 2

The Blessings of Wisdom[a]

My son, if you receive my words
    and treasure my commands,
Turning your ear to wisdom,[b]
    inclining your heart to understanding;

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Footnotes

  1. 2:1–22 Chapter 2 is a single poem, an acrostic of twenty-two lines, the number of consonants in the Hebrew alphabet. In vv. 1–11, the letter aleph, the first letter of the alphabet, predominates, and in vv. 12–22, the letter lamed, the first letter of the second half of the alphabet. A single structure runs through the whole: if (aleph) you search…then (aleph) the Lord/Wisdom will grant…saving (lamed) you from the wicked man/woman…thus (lamed) you can walk in the safe way….
  2. 2:2–3 Wisdom…understanding…intelligence: various names or aspects of the same gift.

Moral Benefits of Wisdom

My son,(A) if you accept my words
    and store up my commands within you,
turning your ear to wisdom
    and applying your heart to understanding(B)

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The Value of Wisdom

My son, if you receive my words,
And (A)treasure my commands within you,
So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding;

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