Proverbs 7
1 My son, keep my words, and lay up my precepts with thee. Son,
My son! keep my sayings, And my commands lay up with thee.
2 Keep my commandments, and thou shalt live: and my law as the apple of thy eye:
Keep my commands, and live, And my law as the pupil of thine eye.
3 Bind it upon thy fingers, write it upon the tables of thy heart.
Bind them on thy fingers, Write them on the tablet of thy heart.
4 Say to wisdom: Thou art my sister: and call prudence thy friend,
Say to wisdom, 'My sister Thou [art].' And cry to understanding, 'Kinswoman!'
5 That she may keep thee from the woman that is not thine, and from the stranger who sweeteneth her words.
To preserve thee from a strange woman, From a stranger who hath made smooth her sayings.
6 For I look out of the window of my house through the lattice,
For, at a window of my house, Through my casement I have looked out,
7 And I see little ones, I behold a foolish young man,
And I do see among the simple ones, I discern among the sons, A young man lacking understanding,
8 Who passeth through the street by the corner, and goeth nigh the way of her house.
Passing on in the street, near her corner, And the way [to] her house he doth step,
9 In the dark, when it grows late, in the darkness and obscurity of the night,
In the twilight — in the evening of day, In the darkness of night and blackness.
10 And behold a woman meeteth him in harlot’s attire prepared to deceive souls; talkative and wandering,
And, lo, a woman to meet him — (A harlot's dress, and watchful of heart,
11 Not bearing to be quiet, not able to abide still at home,
Noisy she [is], and stubborn, In her house her feet rest not.
12 Now abroad, now in the streets, now lying in wait near the corners.
Now in an out-place, now in broad places, And near every corner she lieth in wait) —
13 And catching the young man, she kisseth him, and with an impudent face, flattereth, saying:
And she laid hold on him, and kissed him, She hath hardened her face, and saith to him,
14 I vowed victims for prosperity, this day I have paid my vows.
'Sacrifices of peace-offerings [are] by me, To-day I have completed my vows.
15 Therefore I am come out to meet thee, desirous to see thee, and I have found thee.
Therefore I have come forth to meet thee, To seek earnestly thy face, and I find thee.
16 I have woven my bed with cords, I have covered it with painted tapestry, brought from Egypt.
[With] ornamental coverings I decked my couch, Carved works — cotton of Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
I sprinkled my bed — 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, we are filled [with] loves till the morning, We delight ourselves in loves.
19 For my husband is not at home, he is gone a very long journey.
For the man is not in his house, He hath gone on a long journey.
20 He took with him a bag of money: he mill return home the day of the full moon.
A bag of money he hath taken in his hand, At the day of the new moon he cometh to his house.'
21 She entangled him with many words, and drew him away with the flattery of her lips.
She turneth him aside with the abundance of her speech, With the flattery of her lips she forceth 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 is going after her straightway, As an ox unto the slaughter he cometh, And as a fetter unto the chastisement of a fool,
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 an arrow doth split his liver, As a bird hath hastened unto a snare, And hath not known that it [is] for its life.
24 Now therefore, my son, hear me, and attend to the words of my mouth.
And now, ye sons, hearken to me, And give attention to sayings of my mouth.
25 Let not thy mind be drawn away in her ways: neither be thou deceived with her paths.
Let not thy heart turn unto her ways, Do not wander in her paths,
26 For she hath cast down many wounded, and the strongest have been slain by her.
For many [are] the wounded she caused to fall, And mighty [are] all her slain ones.
