Proverbs 7
1 My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
[My] son, keep my words, and hide with thee my commandments. [My] son, honour the Lord, and thou shalt be strong; and fear none but him:
2 Keep my commandments and live, and my law as the apple of thine eye.
keep my commandments, and thou shalt live; and [keep] my words as the pupils of [thine] eyes.
3 Bind them upon thy fingers. Write them upon the tablet of thy heart.
And bind them on thy fingers, and write [them] on the table of thine heart.
4 Say to wisdom, Thou are my sister, and call understanding thy kinswoman,
Say that wisdom is thy sister, and gain prudence as an acquaintance for thyself;
5 that they may keep thee from the interloping woman, from the stranger who flatters with her words.
that she may keep thee from the strange and wicked woman, if she should assail thee with flattering words.
6 For at the window of my house I looked forth through my lattice,
For she looks from a window out of her house into the streets, at one whom she may see of the senseless ones, a young man void of understanding,
7 and I beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding
passing by the corner in the passages near her house,
8 passing through the street near her corner. And he went the way to her house,
and speaking, in the dark of the evening,
9 in the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the middle of the night and in the darkness.
when there happens [to be] the stillness of night and of darkness:
10 And, behold, there met him a woman attired like a harlot, and wily of heart.
and the woman meets him having the appearance of a harlot, that causes the hearts of young men to flutter.
11 She is loud and headstrong. Her feet abide not in her house.
And she is fickle, and debauched, and her feet abide not at home.
12 Now she is in the streets, now in the broad places, and lies in wait at every corner.
For at one time she wanders without, and at [another] time she lies in wait in the streets, at every corner.
13 So she caught him, and kissed him. With an impudent face she said to him,
Then she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said to him,
14 Sacrifices of peace offerings are with me. I have paid my vows this day.
I have a peace-offering; today I pay my vows:
15 Therefore I came forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.
therefore I came forth to meet thee, desiring thy face; [and] I have found thee.
16 I have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry, with striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt.
I have spread my bed with sheets, and I have covered it with double tapestry from Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
I have sprinkled my couch with saffron, and my house with cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning. Let us solace ourselves with love.
Come, and let us enjoy love until the morning; come, and let us embrace in love.
19 For the man is not at home. He has gone a long journey.
For my husband is not at home, but is gone on a long journey,
20 He has taken a bag of money with him. He will come home at the full moon.
having taken in his hand a bundle of money: after many days he will return to his house.
21 With her much fair speech she causes him to yield. With the flattering of her lips she forces him along.
So with much converse she prevailed on him to go astray, and with the snares of her lips forced him from [the right path].
22 He goes after her straightaway, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks,
And he followed her, being gently led on, and [that] as an ox is led to the slaughter, and as a dog to bonds, or as a hart shot in the liver with an arrow:
23 till an arrow strikes through his liver, as a bird hastens to the snare. And he does not know that it is for his life.
and he hastens as a bird into a snare, not knowing that he is running for [his] life.
24 Now therefore, ye sons, hearken to me, and attend to the words of my mouth.
Now then, [my] son, hearken to me, and attend to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not thy heart decline to her ways. Go not astray in her paths.
Let not thine heart turn aside to her ways:
26 For she has cast down many wounded. Yea, all her slain are a mighty host.
for she has wounded and cast down many, and those whom she has slain are innumerable.
