Proverbs 7
1 My son! Keep my sayings, And lay up my commands with you.
My son, keep my words, And treasure up my commandments with thee!
2 Keep my commands, and live, And my law as the pupil of your eye.
Keep my commandments and live! Yea, my teaching, as the apple of thine eye!
3 Bind them on your fingers, Write them on the tablet of your heart.
Bind them upon thy fingers, Write them upon the tablet of thy heart!
4 Say to wisdom, “You [are] my sister.” And cry to understanding, “Relative!”
Say unto wisdom, “Thou art my sister!” And call understanding thy near acquaintance;
5 To preserve you from a strange woman, From a stranger who has made her sayings smooth.
That they may keep thee from the wife of another, From the stranger, that useth smooth words.
6 For at a window of my house, I have looked out through my casement,
For through the window of my house, Through the lattice I was looking forth,
7 And I see among the simple ones, I discern among the sons, A young man lacking understanding,
And I saw among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, A young man void of understanding.
8 Passing on in the street, near her corner, And the way [to] her house he steps,
He was passing through the street near her corner, And was going the way to her house,
9 In the twilight—in the evening of day, In the darkness of night and blackness.
At twilight, in the evening, At midnight, yea, in the thick darkness.
10 And behold, a woman to meet him—(A harlot’s dress, and watchful of heart,
And, behold, a woman met him, In the attire of a harlot, and subtle of heart, —
11 She [is] noisy, and stubborn, her feet do not rest in her house.
One noisy and unruly, Whose feet abide not in her house;
12 Now in an out-place, now in broad places, And she lies in wait near every corner)—
Who is now in the streets, now in the broad places, And lurketh near every corner.
13 And she laid hold on him and kissed him, She has hardened her face and says to him,
She caught hold of him and kissed him, And with a shameless face said to him,
14 “Sacrifices of peace-offerings [are] by me, Today I have completed my vows.
“Thank-offerings have been upon me, And this day have I performed my vows;
15 Therefore I have come forth to meet you, To earnestly seek your face, and I find you.
Therefore came I forth to meet thee, —Diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee!
16 I decked my bed [with] ornamental coverings, Carved works—cotton of Egypt.
I have spread my bed with coverlets, With tapestry of the thread of Egypt.
17 I sprinkled my bed [with] myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
I have sprinkled 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 take our fill of love until the morning; Let us solace ourselves with caresses.
19 For the man is not in his house, He has gone on a long journey.
For the good-man is not at home; He is gone a 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 hath taken a purse of money with him; At the day of the full moon he will return.”
21 She turns him aside with the abundance of her speech, She forces him with the flattery of her lips.
By her much fair speech she seduced him; By the smoothness of her lips she drew him away.
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,
He goeth after her straightway, As an ox goeth to the slaughter, Or as one in fetters to the chastisement of the fool,
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 an arrow strike through his liver; —As a bird hasteneth into the snare, And knoweth not that it is laid for its life.
24 And now, you sons, listen to me, And give attention to sayings of my mouth.
Now, therefore, ye children, hearken to 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 heart turn aside to her ways; Go not astray in her paths!
26 For many [are] the wounded she caused to fall, And mighty [are] all her slain ones.
For many are the wounded which she hath cast down; Yea, countless is the number of those slain by her.
