Proverbs 5
1 My son, attend unto my wisdom, incline thine ear to my understanding;
My son! to my wisdom give attention, To mine understanding incline thine ear,
2 that thou mayest keep reflection, and that thy lips may preserve knowledge.
To observe thoughtfulness, And knowledge do thy lips keep.
3 For the lips of the strange woman drop honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil;
For the lips of a strange woman drop honey, And smoother than oil [is] her mouth,
4 but her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
And her latter end [is] bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a sword [with] mouths.
Her feet are going down to death, Sheol do her steps take hold of. (Sheol h7585)
6 Lest she should ponder the path of life, her ways wander, she knoweth not [whither].
The path of life — lest thou ponder, Moved have her paths — thou knowest not.
7 And now, children, hearken unto me, and depart not from the words of my mouth.
And now, ye sons, hearken to me, And turn not from sayings of my mouth.
8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:
Keep far from off her thy way, And come not near unto the opening of her house,
9 lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel;
Lest thou give to others thy honour, And thy years to the fierce,
10 lest strangers be filled with thy wealth, and the fruits of thy toil [come] into the house of a stranger;
Lest strangers be filled [with] thy power, And thy labours in the house of a stranger,
11 and thou mourn in thine end, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed;
And thou hast howled in thy latter end, In the consumption of thy flesh and thy food,
12 and thou say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof!
And hast said, 'How have I hated instruction, And reproof hath my heart despised,
13 and I have not hearkened unto the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to those that instructed me;
And I have not hearkened to the voice of my directors, And to my teachers have not inclined mine ear.
14 I was well nigh in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.
As a little thing I have been all evil, In the midst of an assembly and a company.
15 Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.
Drink waters out of thine own cistern, Even flowing ones out of thine own well.
16 Thy fountains shall be poured forth, as water-brooks in the broadways.
Let thy fountains be scattered abroad, In broad places rivulets of waters.
17 Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee.
Let them be to thee for thyself, And not to strangers with thee.
18 Let thy fountain be blessed; and have joy of the wife of thy youth.
Let thy fountain be blessed, And rejoice because of the wife of thy youth,
19 As a lovely hind and a graceful roe, let her breasts satisfy thee at all times: be thou ravished continually with her love.
A hind of loves, and a roe of grace! Let her loves satisfy thee at all times, In her love magnify thyself continually.
20 And why shouldest thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?
And why dost thou magnify thyself, My son, with a stranger? And embrace the bosom of a strange woman?
21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of Jehovah, and he pondereth all his paths.
For over-against the eyes of Jehovah are the ways of each, And all his paths He is pondering.
22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sin.
His own iniquities do capture the wicked, And with the ropes of his sin he is holden.
23 He shall die for want of discipline; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
He dieth without instruction, And in the abundance of his folly magnifieth himself!
