Proverbs 7
1 My son, keep my words, and lay up my precepts with thee. Son,
My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
2 Keep my commandments, and thou shalt live: and my law as the apple of thy eye:
Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.
3 Bind it upon thy fingers, write it upon the tables of thy heart.
Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.
4 Say to wisdom: Thou art my sister: and call prudence thy friend,
Say unto wisdom, Thou [art] my sister; and call understanding [thy] kinswoman:
5 That she may keep thee from the woman that is not thine, and from the stranger who sweeteneth her words.
That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger [which] flattereth with her words.
6 For I look out of the window of my house through the lattice,
For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,
7 And I see little ones, I behold a foolish young man,
And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,
8 Who passeth through the street by the corner, and goeth nigh the way of her house.
Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,
9 In the dark, when it grows late, in the darkness and obscurity of the night,
In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:
10 And behold a woman meeteth him in harlot’s attire prepared to deceive souls; talkative and wandering,
And, behold, there met him a woman [with] the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.
11 Not bearing to be quiet, not able to abide still at home,
(She [is] loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:
12 Now abroad, now in the streets, now lying in wait near the corners.
Now [is she] without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)
13 And catching the young man, she kisseth him, and with an impudent face, flattereth, saying:
So she caught him, and kissed him, [and] with an impudent face said unto him,
14 I vowed victims for prosperity, this day I have paid my vows.
[I have] peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.
15 Therefore I am come out to meet thee, desirous to see thee, and I have found thee.
Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.
16 I have woven my bed with cords, I have covered it with painted tapestry, brought from Egypt.
I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved [works], with fine linen of Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us be inebriated with the breasts, and let us enjoy the desired embraces, till the day appear.
Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.
19 For my husband is not at home, he is gone a very long journey.
For the goodman [is] not at home, he is gone a long journey:
20 He took with him a bag of money: he mill return home the day of the full moon.
He hath taken a bag of money with him, [and] will come home at the day appointed.
21 She entangled him with many words, and drew him away with the flattery of her lips.
With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.
22 Immediately he followeth her as an ox led to be a victim, and as a lamb playing the wanton, and not knowing that he is drawn like a fool to bonds,
He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;
23 Till the arrow pierce his liver: as if a bird should make haste to the snare, and knoweth not that his life is in danger.
Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it [is] for his life.
24 Now therefore, my son, hear me, and attend to the words of my mouth.
Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not thy mind be drawn away in her ways: neither be thou deceived with her paths.
Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.
26 For she hath cast down many wounded, and the strongest have been slain by her.
For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong [men] have been slain by her.
