Proverbs 7
1 My son, keep my sayings, and, my commandments, treasure by thee;
[My] son, keep my words, and hide with you my commandments. [My] son, honour the Lord, and you shall be strong; and fear none but him:
2 Keep my commandments and live, and mine instruction, as the pupil of thine eye;
keep my commandments, and you shall live; and [keep] my words as the pupils of [your] eyes.
3 Bind them upon thy fingers, write them, on the tablet of thy heart;
And bind them on your fingers, and write [them] on the table of your heart.
4 Say unto wisdom, My sister, thou! and, an acquaintance, call thou, understanding:
Say that wisdom is your sister, and gain prudence as an acquaintance for yourself;
5 That thou mayest be kept, from the woman that is a stranger, from the female unknown, who, with her speeches, doth flatter.
that she may keep you from the strange and wicked woman, if she should assail you with flattering words.
6 For, in the window of my house, through my lattice, I looked out;
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,
7 And saw among the simple ones, discerned among the youths, A young man lacking sense;
passing by the corner in the passages near her house,
8 Passing through the street, near her corner, and, on the way to her house, he sauntered along;
and speaking, in the dark of the evening,
9 In the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the midst of the night, and the gloom;
when there happens [to be] the stillness of night and of darkness:
10 And lo! a woman, came to meet him, attired as one unchaste, of a wily heart.
and the woman meets him having the appearance of a harlot, that causes the hearts of young men to flutter.
11 Boisterous, is she, and rebellious, In her house, abide not her feet;
And she is fickle, and debauched, and her feet abide not at home.
12 Now outside, now in the broadways, and, near every corner, she lieth in wait:
For at one time she wanders without, and at [another] time she lies in wait in the streets, at every corner.
13 So she caught him, and kissed him, and, embolding her face, she said to him:
Then she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said to him,
14 Peace-offerings, are by me, to-day, have I paid my vows;
I have a peace-offering; today I pay my vows:
15 For this cause, came I forth to meet thee, to seek diligently thy face, and I have found thee:
therefore I came forth to meet you, desiring your face; [and] I have found you.
16 Coverlets, have I spread on my couch of pleasure, dark-hued stuffs, of the yarn of Egypt;
I have spread my bed with sheets, and I have covered it with double tapestry from Egypt.
17 I have sprinkled my bed, with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon:
I have sprinkled my couch with saffron, and my house with cinnamon.
18 Come! let us take our fill of endearments, until morning, let us delight ourselves with caresses;
Come, and let us enjoy love until the morning; come, and let us embrace in love.
19 For the husband is not in his house, he hath gone on a journey afar;
For my husband is not at home, but is gone on a long journey,
20 A bag of silver, hath he taken in his hand, On the day of the full moon, will he enter his house.
having taken in his hand a bundle of money: after many days he will return to his house.
21 She turneth him aside, with her great persuasiveness, —with the flattery of her lips, she compelleth him:
So with much converse she prevailed on him to go astray, and with the snares of her lips forced him from [the right path].
22 Going after her instantly, as an ox, to the slaughter, he entereth, and, as in fetters, unto the correction of a fool.
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:
23 Until an arrow cleaveth his liver, as a bird hasteth into a snare, and knoweth not, that, for his life, it is!
and he hastens as a bird into a snare, not knowing that he is running for [his] life.
24 Now, therefore, ye sons, hearken unto me, and attend, to the sayings of my mouth;
Now then, [my] son, listen to me, and attend to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not thy heart, turn aside to her ways, Do not go astray, in her paths.
Let not your heart turn aside to her ways:
26 For, many, wounded, hath she caused to fall, —yea strong men, slain wholly by her:
for she has wounded and cast down many, and those whom she has slain are innumerable.
