Proverbs 7
1 My son, keep my sayings, and let my rules be stored up with you.
My son, observe my sayings, and my commandments must thou treasure up with thee.
2 Keep my rules and you will have life; let my teaching be to you as the light of your eyes;
Observe my commandments, and live: and my teaching as the apple of thy eyes.
3 Let them be fixed to your fingers, and recorded in your heart.
Bind them around thy fingers, write them upon the table 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 understanding 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 an adulterous woman, from an alien that useth flattering speeches.
6 Looking out from my house, and watching through the window,
For through the window of my house, through my lattice did I [once] look out,
7 I saw among the young men one without sense,
And I beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a lad void of sense;
8 Walking in the street near the turn of her road, going on 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 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 depth of the night and when it was dark:
10 And the woman came out to him, in the dress of a loose woman, with a designing heart;
And, behold, a woman came to meet him with the attire of a harlot, and obdurate of heart.
11 She is full of noise and uncontrolled; her feet keep not in her house.
(She is noisy and ungovernable; in her house her feet never rest;
12 Now she is in the street, now in the open spaces, waiting at every turning of the road.
At one time she is in the street, at another in the open places, and near every corner doth she lurk, )
13 So she took him by his hand, kissing him, and without a sign of shame she said to him:
And she caught hold of him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face she said to him,
14 I have a feast of peace-offerings, for today my oaths have been effected.
“I had bound myself to bring peace-offerings; 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 am I come forth to meet thee, to seek thy presence diligently, and I have found thee.
16 My bed is covered with cushions of needlework, with coloured cloths of the cotton thread of Egypt;
With tapestry coverings have I decked my bed, with embroidered coverlids of the fine linen of Egypt.
17 I have made my bed sweet with perfumes and spices.
I have sprinkled 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 indulge in love until the morning: let us delight ourselves with dalliances.
19 For the master of the house is away on a long journey:
For the man is not in his house, he is gone on a journey a great way off:
20 He has taken a bag of money with him; he is coming back 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 fair words she overcame him, forcing him with her smooth lips.
She seduced him by the abundance of her reasoning: by the flattery of her lips she misguided him.
22 The simple man goes after her, like an ox going to its death, like a roe pulled by a cord;
He followed after her suddenly, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, and as in fetters to his correction, 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 cleaveth through his liver; as a bird hasteneth into the snare, and knoweth not that it is done to take his life.
24 So now, my sons, give ear to me; give attention to the sayings of my mouth;
And now, O children, hearken unto me, and listen to the sayings of my mouth.
25 Let not your heart be turned to her ways, do not go wandering in her footsteps.
Let not thy heart turn aside to her ways, do not go astray on 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 many deadly wounded hath she caused to fall: yea, very numerous are all those slain by her.
