Proverbs 7
1 My son! Keep my sayings, And lay up my commands with you.
My son, keep my words, and lay up my precepts with thee. Son,
2 Keep my commands, and live, And my law as the pupil of your eye.
Keep my commandments, and thou shalt live: and my law as the apple of thy eye:
3 Bind them on your fingers, Write them on the tablet of your heart.
Bind it upon thy fingers, write it upon the tables of thy heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You [are] my sister.” And cry to understanding, “Relative!”
Say to wisdom: Thou art my sister: and call prudence thy friend,
5 To preserve you from a strange woman, From a stranger who has made her sayings smooth.
That she may keep thee from the woman that is not thine, and from the stranger who sweeteneth her words.
6 For at a window of my house, I have looked out through my casement,
For I look out of the window of my house through the lattice,
7 And I see among the simple ones, I discern among the sons, A young man lacking understanding,
And I see little ones, I behold a foolish young man,
8 Passing on in the street, near her corner, And the way [to] her house he steps,
Who passeth through the street by the corner, and goeth nigh the way of her house.
9 In the twilight—in the evening of day, In the darkness of night and blackness.
In the dark, when it grows late, in the darkness and obscurity of the night,
10 And behold, a woman to meet him—(A harlot’s dress, and watchful of heart,
And behold a woman meeteth him in harlot’s attire prepared to deceive souls; talkative and wandering,
11 She [is] noisy, and stubborn, her feet do not rest in her house.
Not bearing to be quiet, not able to abide still at home,
12 Now in an out-place, now in broad places, And she lies in wait near every corner)—
Now abroad, now in the streets, now lying in wait near the corners.
13 And she laid hold on him and kissed him, She has hardened her face and says to him,
And catching the young man, she kisseth him, and with an impudent face, flattereth, saying:
14 “Sacrifices of peace-offerings [are] by me, Today I have completed my vows.
I vowed victims for prosperity, this day I have paid my vows.
15 Therefore I have come forth to meet you, To earnestly seek your face, and I find you.
Therefore I am come out to meet thee, desirous to see thee, and I have found thee.
16 I decked my bed [with] ornamental coverings, Carved works—cotton of Egypt.
I have woven my bed with cords, I have covered it with painted tapestry, brought from Egypt.
17 I sprinkled my bed [with] myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, we are filled [with] love until the morning, We delight ourselves in loves.
Come, let us be inebriated with the breasts, and let us enjoy the desired embraces, till the day appear.
19 For the man is not in his house, He has gone on a long journey.
For my husband is not at home, he is gone a very long journey.
20 He has taken a bag of money in his hand, At the day of the new moon he comes to his house.”
He took with him a bag of money: he mill return home the day of the full moon.
21 She turns him aside with the abundance of her speech, She forces him with the flattery of her lips.
She entangled him with many words, and drew him away with the flattery of her lips.
22 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,
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,
23 Until an arrow splits his liver, As a bird has hurried to a snare, And has not known that it [is] for its life.
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.
24 And now, you sons, listen to me, And give attention to sayings of my mouth.
Now therefore, my son, hear me, and attend to the words of my mouth.
25 Do not let your heart turn to her ways, Do not wander in her paths,
Let not thy mind be drawn away in her ways: neither be thou deceived with her paths.
26 For many [are] the wounded she caused to fall, And mighty [are] all her slain ones.
For she hath cast down many wounded, and the strongest have been slain by her.
