Proverbs 7
1 My son, keep my words and treasure my commandments within you.
My son, observe my sayings, and my commandments must thou treasure up with thee.
2 Keep my commandments and live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
Observe my commandments, and live: and my teaching as the apple of thy eyes.
3 Tie them to your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
Bind them around thy fingers, write them upon the table of thy heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call understanding your kinsman,
Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:
5 that they may keep you from the adulteress, from the stranger with seductive 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 through the lattice.
For through the window of my house, through my lattice did I [once] look out,
7 I saw among the simple, I noticed among the youths, a young man lacking judgment,
And I beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a lad void of sense;
8 crossing the street near her corner, strolling down the road to her house,
He was passing through the market-place near her corner; and he stepped along on the way to her house,
9 at twilight, as the day was fading into the dark of the night.
In the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the depth of the night and when it was dark:
10 Then a woman came out to meet him, with the attire of a harlot and cunning of heart.
And, behold, a woman came to meet him with the attire of a harlot, and obdurate of heart.
11 She is loud and defiant; her feet do not remain at home.
(She is noisy and ungovernable; in her house her feet never rest;
12 Now in the street, now in the squares, she lurks 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 She seizes him and kisses him; she brazenly says to him:
And she caught hold of him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face she said to him,
14 “I have made my peace offerings; today I have paid my vows.
“I had bound myself to bring peace-offerings; this day have I paid my vows:
15 So I came out to meet you; I sought you, and I have found you.
Therefore am I come forth to meet thee, to seek thy presence diligently, and I have found thee.
16 I have decked my bed with coverings, with colored linen from 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, with aloes, and with cinnamon.
I have sprinkled my couch with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love till morning. Let us delight in loving caresses!
Come, let us indulge in love until the morning: let us delight ourselves with dalliances.
19 For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey.
For the man is not in his house, he is gone on a journey a great way off:
20 He took with him a bag of money and will not return till the moon is full.”
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 great persuasion she entices him; with her flattering lips she lures him.
She seduced him by the abundance of her reasoning: by the flattery of her lips she misguided him.
22 He follows her on impulse, like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer bounding into a trap,
He followed after her suddenly, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, and as in fetters to his correction, the fool:
23 until an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare— not knowing it will cost him 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, my sons, listen to 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 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths.
Let not thy heart turn aside to her ways, do not go astray on her paths.
26 For she has brought many down to death; her slain are many in number.
For many deadly wounded hath she caused to fall: yea, very numerous are all those slain by her.
