Proverbs 7
1 My son, keep my sayings, and let my rules be stored up with you.
My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
2 Keep my rules and you will have life; let my teaching be to you as the light of your eyes;
Keep my commandments, and live; and my teaching, as the apple of thine eye.
3 Let them be fixed to your fingers, and recorded in your heart.
Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the tablet of thy heart.
4 Say to wisdom, You are my sister; let knowledge be named your special friend:
Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister, and call intelligence [thy] kinswoman:
5 So that they may keep you from the strange woman, even from her whose words are smooth.
that they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger who flattereth with her words.
6 Looking out from my house, and watching through the window,
For at the window of my house, I looked forth through my lattice,
7 I saw among the young men one without sense,
and I beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the sons, a young man void of understanding,
8 Walking in the street near the turn of her road, going on the way to her house,
passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,
9 At nightfall, in the evening of the day, in the black dark of the night.
in the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the blackness of night and the darkness.
10 And the woman came out to him, in the dress of a loose woman, with a designing heart;
And behold, there met him a woman in the attire of a harlot, and subtle of heart.
11 She is full of noise and uncontrolled; her feet keep not in her house.
She is clamorous and unmanageable; her feet abide not in her house:
12 Now she is in the street, now in the open spaces, waiting at every turning of the road.
now without, now in the broadways, — and she lieth in wait at every corner.
13 So she took him by his hand, kissing him, and without a sign of shame she said to him:
And she caught him and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him,
14 I have a feast of peace-offerings, for today my oaths have been effected.
I have peace-offerings with me; this day have I paid my vows:
15 So I came out in the hope of meeting you, looking for you with care, and now I have you.
therefore came I forth to meet thee, to seek earnestly thy face, and I have found thee.
16 My bed is covered with cushions of needlework, with coloured cloths of the cotton thread of Egypt;
I have decked my bed with tapestry coverlets of variegated linen from Egypt;
17 I have made my bed sweet with perfumes and spices.
I have perfumed my couch with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our pleasure in love till the morning, having joy in love's delights.
Come, let us revel in love until the morning, let us delight ourselves with loves.
19 For the master of the house is away on a long journey:
For the husband is not at home, he is gone a long journey;
20 He has taken a bag of money with him; he is coming back at the full moon.
he hath taken the money-bag with him, he will come home on the day of the full moon.
21 With her fair words she overcame him, forcing him with her smooth lips.
With her much enticement she beguiled him; with the smoothness of her lips she constrained him.
22 The simple man goes after her, like an ox going to its death, like a roe pulled by a cord;
He went after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, and as stocks [serve] for the correction of the fool;
23 Like a bird falling into a net; with no thought that his life is in danger, till an arrow goes into his side.
till an arrow strike through his liver: as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for its life.
24 So now, my sons, give ear to me; give attention to the sayings of my mouth;
And now, ye sons, hearken unto me, and attend to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not your heart be turned to her ways, do not go wandering in her footsteps.
Let not thy heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths:
26 For those wounded and made low by her are great in number; and all those who have come to their death through her are a great army.
for she hath cast down many wounded, and all slain by her were strong.
