Proverbs 7
1 [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:
My son, keep my words, And lay up my commandments with thee.
2 keep my commandments, and you shall live; and [keep] my words as the pupils of [your] eyes.
Keep my commandments and live; And my law as the apple of thine eye.
3 And bind them on your fingers, and write [them] on the table of your heart.
Bind them upon thy fingers; Write them upon the tablet of thy heart.
4 Say that wisdom is your sister, and gain prudence as an acquaintance for yourself;
Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; And call understanding [thy] kinswoman:
5 that she may keep you from the strange and wicked woman, if she should assail you with flattering words.
That they may keep thee from the strange woman, From the foreigner that flattereth with her words.
6 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,
For at the window of my house I looked forth through my lattice;
7 passing by the corner in the passages near her house,
And I beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, A young man void of understanding,
8 and speaking, in the dark of the evening,
Passing through the street near her corner; And he went the way to her house,
9 when there happens [to be] the stillness of night and of darkness:
In the twilight, in the evening of the day, In the middle of the night and in the darkness.
10 and the woman meets him having the appearance of a harlot, that causes the hearts of young men to flutter.
And, behold, there met him a woman With the attire of a harlot, and wily of heart.
11 And she is fickle, and debauched, and her feet abide not at home.
(She is clamorous and wilful; Her feet abide not in her house:
12 For at one time she wanders without, and at [another] time she lies in wait in the streets, at every corner.
Now she is in the streets, now in the broad places, And lieth in wait at every corner.)
13 Then she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said to him,
So she caught him, and kissed him, [And] with an impudent face she said unto him:
14 I have a peace-offering; today I pay my vows:
Sacrifices of peace-offerings are with me; This day have I paid my vows.
15 therefore I came forth to meet you, desiring your face; [and] I have found you.
Therefore came I forth to meet thee, Diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.
16 I have spread my bed with sheets, and I have covered it with double tapestry from Egypt.
I have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry, With striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt.
17 I have sprinkled my couch with saffron, and my house with cinnamon.
I have perfumed my bed With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, and let us enjoy love until the morning; come, and let us embrace in love.
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, but is gone on a long journey,
For the man is not at home; He is gone a long journey:
20 having taken in his hand a bundle of money: after many days he will return to his house.
He hath taken a bag of money with him; He will come home at the full moon.
21 So with much converse she prevailed on him to go astray, and with the snares of her lips forced him from [the right path].
With her much fair speech she causeth him to yield; With the flattering of her lips she forceth him along.
22 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:
He goeth after her straightway, As an ox goeth to the slaughter, Or as [one in] fetters to the correction of the fool;
23 and he hastens as a bird into a snare, not knowing that he is running for [his] life.
Till an arrow strike through his liver; As a bird hasteth to the snare, And knoweth not that it is for his life.
24 Now then, [my] son, listen to me, and attend to the words of my mouth.
Now therefore, [my] sons, hearken unto me, And attend to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not your heart turn aside to her ways:
Let not thy heart decline to her ways; Go not astray in her paths.
26 for she has wounded and cast down many, and those whom she has slain are innumerable.
For she hath cast down many wounded: Yea, all her slain are a mighty host.
