Proverbs 7
1 [My] son, keep my words, and hide with you my commandments. [My] son, honour the Lord, and you shall be strong; and fear none but him:
My son, keep my words and store up my commands within yourself.
2 keep my commandments, and you shall live; and [keep] my words as the pupils of [your] eyes.
Keep my commands and live and keep my instruction as the apple of your eye.
3 And bind them on your fingers, and write [them] on the table of your heart.
Tie them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say that wisdom is your sister, and gain prudence as an acquaintance for yourself;
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call understanding your kinsman,
5 that she may keep you from the strange and wicked woman, if she should assail you with flattering words.
in order to keep yourself from the adulterous woman, from the immoral woman with her smooth words.
6 For she looks from a window out of her house into the streets, at one whom she may see of the senseless ones, a young man void of understanding,
At the window of my house I was looking out through the lattice.
7 passing by the corner in the passages near her house,
I looked at the naive people, and I noticed among the young men a youth who had no sense.
8 and speaking, in the dark of the evening,
That young man passed down the street near her corner, and he went toward her house.
9 when there happens [to be] the stillness of night and of darkness:
It was twilight, in the evening of the day, at the time of night and darkness.
10 and the woman meets him having the appearance of a harlot, that causes the hearts of young men to flutter.
There a woman met him, dressed like a prostitute, with a false heart.
11 And she is fickle, and debauched, and her feet abide not at home.
She was loud and wayward; her feet did not stay at home.
12 For at one time she wanders without, and at [another] time she lies in wait in the streets, at every corner.
Now in the streets, then in the market place, and at every corner she waited in ambush.
13 Then she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said to him,
So she grabbed him and kissed him, with a strong face she said to him,
14 I have a peace-offering; today I pay my vows:
“I made my peace offering today, I paid my vows,
15 therefore I came forth to meet you, desiring your face; [and] I have found you.
so came I out to meet you, to eagerly seek your face, and I have found you.
16 I have spread my bed with sheets, and I have covered it with double tapestry from Egypt.
I have spread coverings on my bed, colored linens from Egypt.
17 I have sprinkled my couch with saffron, and my house with cinnamon.
I have sprinkled my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, and let us enjoy love until the morning; come, and let us embrace in love.
Come, let us drink our fill of love until morning; let us take great pleasure in acts of love.
19 For my husband is not at home, but is gone on a long journey,
For my husband is not at his house; he has gone on a long journey.
20 having taken in his hand a bundle of money: after many days he will return to his house.
He took a bag of money with him; he will return on the day of the full moon.”
21 So with much converse she prevailed on him to go astray, and with the snares of her lips forced him from [the right path].
With much talk she turned him; with her smooth lips she misled him.
22 And he followed her, being gently led on, and [that] as an ox is led to the slaughter, and as a dog to bonds, or as a hart shot in the liver with an arrow:
He went after her suddenly like an ox going to slaughter, like a deer caught in a trap,
23 and he hastens as a bird into a snare, not knowing that he is running for [his] life.
until an arrow pierces through its liver. He was like a bird rushing into a snare. He did not know that it would cost his life.
24 Now then, [my] son, listen to me, and attend to the words of my mouth.
Now, my sons, listen to me; pay attention to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not your heart turn aside to her ways:
May your heart not turn aside onto her paths; do not be led astray onto her paths.
26 for she has wounded and cast down many, and those whom she has slain are innumerable.
She has caused many people to fall down pierced; her dead victims are very many.
