Proverbs 7
1 My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
My son! Keep my sayings, And lay up my commands with you.
2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.
Keep my commands, and live, And my law as the pupil of your eye.
3 Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.
Bind them on your fingers, Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say unto wisdom, Thou [art] my sister; and call understanding [thy] kinswoman:
Say to wisdom, “You [are] my sister.” And cry to understanding, “Relative!”
5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger [which] flattereth with her words.
To preserve you from a strange woman, From a stranger who has made her sayings smooth.
6 For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,
For at a window of my house, I have looked out through my casement,
7 And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,
And I see among the simple ones, I discern among the sons, A young man lacking understanding,
8 Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,
Passing on in the street, near her corner, And the way [to] her house he steps,
9 In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:
In the twilight—in the evening of day, In the darkness of night and blackness.
10 And, behold, there met him a woman [with] the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.
And behold, a woman to meet him—(A harlot’s dress, and watchful of heart,
11 (She [is] loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:
She [is] noisy, and stubborn, her feet do not rest in her house.
12 Now [is she] without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)
Now in an out-place, now in broad places, And she lies in wait near every corner)—
13 So she caught him, and kissed him, [and] with an impudent face said unto him,
And she laid hold on him and kissed him, She has hardened her face and says to him,
14 [I have] peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.
“Sacrifices of peace-offerings [are] by me, Today I have completed my vows.
15 Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.
Therefore I have come forth to meet you, To earnestly seek your face, and I find you.
16 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved [works], with fine linen of Egypt.
I decked my bed [with] ornamental coverings, Carved works—cotton of Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
I sprinkled my bed [with] myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.
Come, we are filled [with] love until the morning, We delight ourselves in loves.
19 For the goodman [is] not at home, he is gone a long journey:
For the man is not in his house, He has gone on a long journey.
20 He hath taken a bag of money with him, [and] will come home at the day appointed.
He has taken a bag of money in his hand, At the day of the new moon he comes to his house.”
21 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.
She turns him aside with the abundance of her speech, She forces him with the flattery of her lips.
22 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;
He is going after her straight away, he comes as an ox to the slaughter, And as a chain to the discipline of a fool,
23 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it [is] for his life.
Until an arrow splits his liver, As a bird has hurried to a snare, And has not known that it [is] for its life.
24 Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.
And now, you sons, listen to me, And give attention to sayings of my mouth.
25 Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.
Do not let your heart turn to her ways, Do not wander in her paths,
26 For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong [men] have been slain by her.
For many [are] the wounded she caused to fall, And mighty [are] all her slain ones.
