Proverbs 7
1 My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
[My] son, keep my words, and hide with you my commandments. [My] son, honor the Lord, and you shall be strong; and fear none but him:
2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.
keep my commandments, and you shall live; and [keep] my words as the pupils of [your] eyes.
3 Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.
And bind them on your fingers, and write [them] on the table of your heart.
4 Say unto wisdom, Thou [art] my sister; and call understanding [thy] kinswoman:
Say that wisdom is your sister, and gain prudence as an acquaintance for yourself;
5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger [which] flattereth with her words.
that she may keep you from the strange and wicked woman, if she should assail you with flattering words.
6 For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,
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,
7 And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,
passing by the corner in the passages near her house,
8 Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,
and speaking, in the dark of the evening,
9 In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:
when there happens [to be] the stillness of night and of darkness:
10 And, behold, there met him a woman [with] the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.
and the woman meets him having the appearance of a harlot, that causes the hearts of young men to flutter.
11 (She [is] loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:
And she is fickle, and debauched, and her feet abide not at home.
12 Now [is she] without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)
For at one time she wanders without, and at [another] time she lies in wait in the streets, at every corner.
13 So she caught him, and kissed him, [and] with an impudent face said unto him,
Then she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said to him,
14 [I have] peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.
I have a peace-offering; today I pay my vows:
15 Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.
therefore I came forth to meet you, desiring your face; [and] I have found you.
16 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved [works], with fine linen of Egypt.
I have spread my bed with sheets, and I have covered it with double tapestry from Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
I have sprinkled my couch with saffron, and my house with cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.
Come, and let us enjoy love until the morning; come, and let us embrace in love.
19 For the goodman [is] not at home, he is gone a long journey:
For my husband is not at home, but is gone on a long journey,
20 He hath taken a bag of money with him, [and] will come home at the day appointed.
having taken in his hand a bundle of money: after many days he will return to his house.
21 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.
So with much converse she prevailed on him to go astray, and with the snares of her lips forced him from [the right path].
22 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;
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:
23 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it [is] for his life.
and he hastens as a bird into a snare, not knowing that he is running for [his] life.
24 Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.
Now then, [my] son, listen to me, and attend to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.
Let not your heart turn aside to her ways:
26 For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong [men] have been slain by her.
for she has wounded and cast down many, and those whom she has slain are innumerable.
