Proverbs 7
1 My son, keep my words. Lay up my commandments within you.
My son, keep my words and store up my commands within yourself.
2 Keep my commandments and live! Guard my teaching as the apple of your eye.
Keep my commands and live and keep my instruction as the apple of your eye.
3 Bind them on your fingers. Write them on the tablet of your heart.
Tie them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Tell wisdom, “You are my sister.” Call understanding your relative,
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call understanding your kinsman,
5 that they may keep you from the strange woman, from the foreigner who flatters with her words.
in order to keep yourself from the adulterous woman, from the immoral woman with her smooth words.
6 For at the window of my house, I looked out through my lattice.
At the window of my house I was looking out through the lattice.
7 I saw among the simple ones. I discerned among the youths a young man void of understanding,
I looked at the naive people, and I noticed among the young men a youth who had no sense.
8 passing through the street near her corner, he went the way to her house,
That young man passed down the street near her corner, and he went toward her house.
9 in the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the middle of the night and in the darkness.
It was twilight, in the evening of the day, at the time of night and darkness.
10 Behold, there a woman met him with the attire of a prostitute, and with crafty intent.
There a woman met him, dressed like a prostitute, with a false heart.
11 She is loud and defiant. Her feet do not stay in her house.
She was loud and wayward; her feet did not stay at home.
12 Now she is in the streets, now in the squares, and lurking at every corner.
Now in the streets, then in the market place, and at every corner she waited in ambush.
13 So she caught him, and kissed him. With an impudent face she said to him:
So she grabbed him and kissed him, with a strong face she said to him,
14 “Sacrifices of peace offerings are with me. Today I have paid my vows.
“I made my peace offering today, I paid my vows,
15 Therefore I came out to meet you, to diligently seek your face, and I have found you.
so came I out to meet you, to eagerly seek your face, and I have found you.
16 I have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry, with striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt.
I have spread coverings on my bed, colored linens from Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
I have sprinkled my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s take our fill of loving until the morning. Let’s solace ourselves with loving.
Come, let us drink our fill of love until morning; let us take great pleasure in acts of love.
19 For my husband is not at home. He has gone on a long journey.
For my husband is not at 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 took a bag of money with him; he will return on the day of the full moon.”
21 With persuasive words, she led him astray. With the flattering of her lips, she seduced him.
With much talk she turned him; with her smooth lips she misled him.
22 He followed her immediately, as an ox goes to the slaughter, as a fool stepping into a noose.
He went after her suddenly like an ox going to slaughter, like a deer caught in a trap,
23 Until an arrow strikes through his liver, as a bird hurries to the snare, and does not know that it will cost his life.
until an arrow pierces through its liver. He was like a bird rushing into a snare. He did not know that it would cost his life.
24 Now therefore, sons, listen to me. Pay attention to the words of my mouth.
Now, my sons, listen to me; pay attention to the words of my mouth.
25 Do not let your heart turn to her ways. Do not go astray in her paths,
May your heart not turn aside onto her paths; do not be led astray onto her paths.
26 for she has thrown down many wounded. Yes, all her slain are a mighty army.
She has caused many people to fall down pierced; her dead victims are very many.
