Proverbs 7
1 My son, keep my words, And lay up my commandments with thee.
My son, observe my sayings, and my commandments must thou treasure up with thee.
2 Keep my commandments and live; And my law as the apple of thine eye.
Observe my commandments, and live: and my teaching as the apple of thy eyes.
3 Bind them upon thy fingers; Write them upon the tablet of thy heart.
Bind them around thy fingers, write them upon the table of thy heart.
4 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; And call understanding [thy] kinswoman:
Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:
5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman, From the foreigner that flattereth with her words.
That they may keep thee from an adulterous woman, from an alien that useth flattering speeches.
6 For at the window of my house I looked forth through my lattice;
For through the window of my house, through my lattice did I [once] look out,
7 And I beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, A young man void of understanding,
And I beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a lad void of sense;
8 Passing through the street near her corner; And he went the way to her house,
He was passing through the market-place near her corner; and he stepped along on the way to her house,
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 the day, in the depth of the night and when it was dark:
10 And, behold, there met him a woman With the attire of a harlot, and wily of heart.
And, behold, a woman came to meet him with the attire of a harlot, and obdurate of heart.
11 (She is clamorous and wilful; Her feet abide not in her house:
(She is noisy and ungovernable; in her house her feet never rest;
12 Now she is in the streets, now in the broad places, And lieth in wait at every corner.)
At one time she is in the street, at another in the open places, and near every corner doth she lurk, )
13 So she caught him, and kissed him, [And] with an impudent face she said unto him:
And she caught hold of him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face she said to him,
14 Sacrifices of peace-offerings are with me; This day have I paid my vows.
“I had bound myself to bring peace-offerings; this day have I paid my vows:
15 Therefore came I forth to meet thee, Diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.
Therefore am I come forth to meet thee, to seek thy presence diligently, and I have found thee.
16 I have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry, With striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt.
With tapestry coverings have I decked my bed, with embroidered coverlids of the fine linen of Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
I have sprinkled my couch with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning; Let us solace ourselves with loves.
Come, let us indulge in love until the morning: let us delight ourselves with dalliances.
19 For the man is not at home; He is gone a long journey:
For the man is not in his house, he is gone on a journey a great way off:
20 He hath taken a bag of money with him; He will come home at the full moon.
The bag of money hath he taken with him, by the day of the new-moon festival only will he come home.”
21 With her much fair speech she causeth him to yield; With the flattering of her lips she forceth him along.
She seduced him by the abundance of her reasoning: by the flattery of her lips she misguided him.
22 He goeth after her straightway, As an ox goeth to the slaughter, Or as [one in] fetters to the correction of the fool;
He followed after her suddenly, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, and as in fetters to his correction, the fool:
23 Till an arrow strike through his liver; As a bird hasteth to the snare, And knoweth not that it is for his life.
Till an arrow cleaveth through his liver; as a bird hasteneth into the snare, and knoweth not that it is done to take his life.
24 Now therefore, [my] sons, hearken unto me, And attend to the words of my mouth.
And now, O children, hearken unto me, and listen to the sayings of my mouth.
25 Let not thy heart decline to her ways; Go not astray in her paths.
Let not thy heart turn aside to her ways, do not go astray on her paths.
26 For she hath cast down many wounded: Yea, all her slain are a mighty host.
For many deadly wounded hath she caused to fall: yea, very numerous are all those slain by her.
