Proverbs 5
1 My son, attend to my wisdom. And bow thine ear to my understanding;
My son, pay attention to my wisdom. Turn your ear to my understanding,
2 That thou mayest keep discretion, And that thy lips may preserve knowledge!
that you may maintain discretion, that your lips may preserve knowledge.
3 Truly, the lips of a strange woman drop honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil;
For the lips of an adulteress drip honey. Her mouth is smoother than oil,
4 But her end is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword.
but in the end she is as bitter as wormwood, and as sharp as a two-edged sword.
Her feet go down to death. Her steps lead straight to Sheol. (Sheol h7585)
6 That she may not ponder the way of life, Her paths waver when she heedeth it not.
She gives no thought to the way of life. Her ways are crooked, and she doesn’t know it.
7 Hear me now, therefore, O children! And turn not away from the words of my mouth!
Now therefore, my sons, listen to me. Don’t depart from the words of my mouth.
8 Remove thy way far from her. And come not nigh the door of her house:
Remove your way far from her. Don’t come near the door of her house,
9 Lest thou give thy bloom to others, And thy years to a cruel one;
lest you give your honour to others, and your years to the cruel one;
10 Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth, And thine earnings be in the house of an alien;
lest strangers feast on your wealth, and your labours enrich another man’s house.
11 And lest thou mourn in thy latter end. When thy flesh and thy body are consumed,
You will groan at your latter end, when your flesh and your body are consumed,
12 And say, “How have I hated instruction! And how hath my heart despised reproof!
and say, “How I have hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof.
13 I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined mine ear to my instructors;
I haven’t obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor turned my ear to those who instructed me!
14 I have well-nigh fallen into utter misery; In the midst of the congregation and the assembly.”
I have come to the brink of utter ruin, amongst the gathered assembly.”
15 Drink water out of thine own cistern. And running water out of thine own well:
Drink water out of your own cistern, running water out of your own well.
16 So shall thy fountains overflow in the streets, In the wide streets, as streams of water;
Should your springs overflow in the streets, streams of water in the public squares?
17 They shall belong to thee alone, And not to strangers with thee;
Let them be for yourself alone, not for strangers with you.
18 And thy fountain shall be blessed, Yea, thou shalt have joy in the wife of thy youth.
Let your spring be blessed. Rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 A lovely hind, a graceful doe, Her breasts shall satisfy thee at all times, And thou shalt be always ravished with her love.
A loving doe and a graceful deer— let her breasts satisfy you at all times. Be captivated always with her love.
20 Why, then, my son, wilt thou be ravished with a wanton, And embrace the bosom of a stranger?
For why should you, my son, be captivated with an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another?
21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, And he weigheth well all his paths.
For the ways of man are before the LORD’s eyes. He examines all his paths.
22 His own iniquities shall ensnare the wicked; Yea, he shall be held fast by the cords of his own sins.
The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare him. The cords of his sin hold him firmly.
23 He shall die for want of instruction; Yea, through the greatness of his folly he shall stagger.
He will die for lack of instruction. In the greatness of his folly, he will go astray.
