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 treasure 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! Yea, my teaching, 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 near acquaintance;
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 wife of another, From the stranger, that useth smooth 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 through the window of my house, Through the lattice I was looking forth,
7 passing by the corner in the passages near her house,
And I saw among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, A young man void of understanding.
8 and speaking, in the dark of the evening,
He was passing through the street near her corner, And was going the way to her house,
9 when there happens [to be] the stillness of night and of darkness:
At twilight, in the evening, At midnight, yea, in the thick darkness.
10 and the woman meets him having the appearance of a harlot, that causes the hearts of young men to flutter.
And, behold, a woman met him, In the attire of a harlot, and subtle of heart, —
11 And she is fickle, and debauched, and her feet abide not at home.
One noisy and unruly, Whose 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.
Who is now in the streets, now in the broad places, And lurketh near every corner.
13 Then she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said to him,
She caught hold of him and kissed him, And with a shameless face said to him,
14 I have a peace-offering; today I pay my vows:
“Thank-offerings have been upon me, And this day have I performed 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 bed with coverlets, With tapestry of the thread of Egypt.
17 I have sprinkled my couch with saffron, and my house with cinnamon.
I have sprinkled 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 caresses.
19 For my husband is not at home, but is gone on a long journey,
For the good-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 purse of money with him; At the day of the full moon he will return.”
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].
By her much fair speech she seduced him; By the smoothness of her lips she drew him away.
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 chastisement 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 hasteneth into the snare, And knoweth not that it is laid for its life.
24 Now then, [my] son, listen to me, and attend to the words of my mouth.
Now, therefore, ye children, hearken to me, And attend to the words of my mouth!
25 Let not your heart turn aside to her ways:
Let not thy heart turn aside 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 many are the wounded which she hath cast down; Yea, countless is the number of those slain by her.
