Proverbs 7
1 My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
My son! Keep my sayings, And lay up my commands with you.
2 Keep my commandments and live, and my law as the apple of thine eye.
Keep my commands, and live, And my law as the pupil of your eye.
3 Bind them upon thy fingers. Write them upon the tablet of thy heart.
Bind them on your fingers, Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, Thou are my sister, and call understanding thy kinswoman,
Say to wisdom, “You [are] my sister.” And cry to understanding, “Relative!”
5 that they may keep thee from the interloping woman, from the stranger who flatters with her words.
To preserve you from a strange woman, From a stranger who has made her sayings smooth.
6 For at the window of my house I looked forth through my lattice,
For at a window of my house, I have looked out through my casement,
7 and I beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding
And I see among the simple ones, I discern among the sons, A young man lacking understanding,
8 passing through the street near her corner. And he went the way to her house,
Passing on in the street, near her corner, And the way [to] her house he steps,
9 in the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the middle of the night and in the darkness.
In the twilight—in the evening of day, In the darkness of night and blackness.
10 And, behold, there met him a woman attired like a harlot, and wily of heart.
And behold, a woman to meet him—(A harlot’s dress, and watchful of heart,
11 She is loud and headstrong. Her feet abide not in her house.
She [is] noisy, and stubborn, her feet do not rest in her house.
12 Now she is in the streets, now in the broad places, and lies in wait at every corner.
Now in an out-place, now in broad places, And she lies in wait near every corner)—
13 So she caught him, and kissed him. With an impudent face she said to him,
And she laid hold on him and kissed him, She has hardened her face and says to him,
14 Sacrifices of peace offerings are with me. I have paid my vows this day.
“Sacrifices of peace-offerings [are] by me, Today I have completed my vows.
15 Therefore I came forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.
Therefore I have come forth to meet you, To earnestly seek your face, and I find you.
16 I have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry, with striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt.
I decked my bed [with] ornamental coverings, Carved works—cotton of Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
I sprinkled my bed [with] myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning. Let us solace ourselves with love.
Come, we are filled [with] love until the morning, We delight ourselves in loves.
19 For the man is not at home. He has gone a long journey.
For the man is not in his house, He has gone on a long journey.
20 He has taken a bag of money with him. He will come home at the full moon.
He has taken a bag of money in his hand, At the day of the new moon he comes to his house.”
21 With her much fair speech she causes him to yield. With the flattering of her lips she forces him along.
She turns him aside with the abundance of her speech, She forces him with the flattery of her lips.
22 He goes after her straightaway, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks,
He is going after her straight away, he comes as an ox to the slaughter, And as a chain to the discipline of a fool,
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.
Until an arrow splits his liver, As a bird has hurried to a snare, And has not known that it [is] for its life.
24 Now therefore, ye sons, hearken to me, and attend to the words of my mouth.
And now, you sons, listen to me, And give attention to sayings of my mouth.
25 Let not thy heart decline to her ways. Go not astray in her paths.
Do not let your heart turn to her ways, Do not wander in her paths,
26 For she has cast down many wounded. Yea, all her slain are a mighty host.
For many [are] the wounded she caused to fall, And mighty [are] all her slain ones.
