Proverbs 7
1 My son, keep my words. Lay up my commandments within you.
My son, observe my sayings, and my commandments must thou treasure up with thee.
2 Keep my commandments and live. Guard my teaching as the apple of your eye.
Observe my commandments, and live: and my teaching as the apple of thy eyes.
3 Bind them on your fingers. Write them on the tablet of your heart.
Bind them around thy fingers, write them upon the table of thy heart.
4 Tell wisdom, "You are my sister." Call understanding your relative,
Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:
5 that they may keep you from the strange woman, from the foreigner who flatters with her words.
That they may keep thee from an adulterous woman, from an alien that useth flattering speeches.
6 For at the window of my house, I looked out through my lattice.
For through the window of my house, through my lattice did I [once] look out,
7 I saw among the simple ones. I discerned among the youths a young man void of understanding,
And I beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a lad void of sense;
8 passing through the street near her corner, he went the way to her house,
He was passing through the market-place near her corner; and he stepped along on the way to her house,
9 in the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the middle of the night and in the darkness.
In the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the depth of the night and when it was dark:
10 Look, there a woman met him with the attire of a prostitute, and with crafty intent.
And, behold, a woman came to meet him with the attire of a harlot, and obdurate of heart.
11 She is loud and defiant. Her feet do not stay in her house.
(She is noisy and ungovernable; in her house her feet never rest;
12 Now she is in the streets, now in the squares, and lurking at every corner.
At one time she is in the street, at another in the open places, and near every corner doth she lurk, )
13 So she caught him, and kissed him. With an impudent face she said to him:
And she caught hold of him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face she said to him,
14 "Sacrifices of peace offerings are with me. This day I have paid my vows.
“I had bound myself to bring peace-offerings; this day have I paid my vows:
15 Therefore I came out to meet you, to diligently seek your face, and I have found you.
Therefore am I come forth to meet thee, to seek thy presence diligently, and I have found thee.
16 I have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry, with striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt.
With tapestry coverings have I decked my bed, with embroidered coverlids of the fine linen of Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
I have sprinkled my couch with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let's take our fill of loving until the morning. Let's solace ourselves with loving.
Come, let us indulge in love until the morning: let us delight ourselves with dalliances.
19 For my husband isn't at home. He has gone on a long journey.
For the man is not in his house, he is gone on a journey a great way off:
20 He has taken a bag of money with him. He will come home at the full moon."
The bag of money hath he taken with him, by the day of the new-moon festival only will he come home.”
21 With persuasive words, she led him astray. With the flattering of her lips, she seduced him.
She seduced him by the abundance of her reasoning: by the flattery of her lips she misguided him.
22 He followed her immediately, as an ox goes to the slaughter, as a stag leaping into a trap,
He followed after her suddenly, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, and as in fetters to his correction, the fool:
23 till an arrow strikes through his liver, as a bird hurries to the snare, and doesn't know that it will cost his life.
Till an arrow cleaveth through his liver; as a bird hasteneth into the snare, and knoweth not that it is done to take his life.
24 Now therefore, son, listen to me. Pay attention to the words of my mouth.
And now, O children, hearken unto me, and listen to the sayings of my mouth.
25 Do not let your heart turn to her ways. Do not go astray in her paths,
Let not thy heart turn aside to her ways, do not go astray on her paths.
26 for she has thrown down many wounded. Yes, all her slain are a mighty army.
For many deadly wounded hath she caused to fall: yea, very numerous are all those slain by her.
