< Proverbs 7 >

1 My son, keep my words and treasure my commandments within you.
My son! Keep my sayings, And lay up my commands with you.
2 Keep my commandments and live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
Keep my commands, and live, And my law as the pupil of your eye.
3 Tie them to your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
Bind them on your fingers, Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call understanding your kinsman,
Say to wisdom, “You [are] my sister.” And cry to understanding, “Relative!”
5 that they may keep you from the adulteress, from the stranger with seductive 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 through the lattice.
For at a window of my house, I have looked out through my casement,
7 I saw among the simple, I noticed among the youths, a young man lacking judgment,
And I see among the simple ones, I discern among the sons, A young man lacking understanding,
8 crossing the street near her corner, strolling down the road to her house,
Passing on in the street, near her corner, And the way [to] her house he steps,
9 at twilight, as the day was fading into the dark of the night.
In the twilight—in the evening of day, In the darkness of night and blackness.
10 Then a woman came out to meet him, with the attire of a harlot and cunning of heart.
And behold, a woman to meet him—(A harlot’s dress, and watchful of heart,
11 She is loud and defiant; her feet do not remain at home.
She [is] noisy, and stubborn, her feet do not rest in her house.
12 Now in the street, now in the squares, she lurks at every corner.
Now in an out-place, now in broad places, And she lies in wait near every corner)—
13 She seizes him and kisses him; she brazenly says to him:
And she laid hold on him and kissed him, She has hardened her face and says to him,
14 “I have made my peace offerings; today I have paid my vows.
“Sacrifices of peace-offerings [are] by me, Today I have completed my vows.
15 So I came out to meet you; I sought you, and I have found you.
Therefore I have come forth to meet you, To earnestly seek your face, and I find you.
16 I have decked my bed with coverings, with colored linen from Egypt.
I decked my bed [with] ornamental coverings, Carved works—cotton of Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, with aloes, and with cinnamon.
I sprinkled my bed [with] myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love till morning. Let us delight in loving caresses!
Come, we are filled [with] love until the morning, We delight ourselves in loves.
19 For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey.
For the man is not in his house, He has gone on a long journey.
20 He took with him a bag of money and will not return till the moon is full.”
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 great persuasion she entices him; with her flattering lips she lures him.
She turns him aside with the abundance of her speech, She forces him with the flattery of her lips.
22 He follows her on impulse, like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer bounding into a trap,
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 until an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare— not knowing it will cost him 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, my sons, listen 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 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths.
Do not let your heart turn to her ways, Do not wander in her paths,
26 For she has brought many down to death; her slain are many in number.
For many [are] the wounded she caused to fall, And mighty [are] all her slain ones.
27 Her house is the road to Sheol, descending to the chambers of death. (Sheol h7585)
The ways of Sheol—her house, Going down to inner chambers of death! (Sheol h7585)

< Proverbs 7 >