Proverbs 7
1 My son, keep my words and store up my commands within yourself.
My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
2 Keep my commands and live and keep my instruction as the apple of your eye.
Keep my commandments, and live; and my teaching, as the apple of thine eye.
3 Tie 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 call understanding your kinsman,
Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister, and call intelligence [thy] kinswoman:
5 in order to keep yourself from the adulterous woman, from the immoral woman with her smooth words.
that they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger who flattereth with her words.
6 At the window of my house I was looking out through the lattice.
For at the window of my house, I looked forth through my lattice,
7 I looked at the naive people, and I noticed among the young men a youth who had no sense.
and I beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the sons, a young man void of understanding,
8 That young man passed down the street near her corner, and he went toward her house.
passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,
9 It was twilight, in the evening of the day, at the time of night and darkness.
in the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the blackness of night and the darkness.
10 There a woman met him, dressed like a prostitute, with a false heart.
And behold, there met him a woman in the attire of a harlot, and subtle of heart.
11 She was loud and wayward; her feet did not stay at home.
She is clamorous and unmanageable; her feet abide not in her house:
12 Now in the streets, then in the market place, and at every corner she waited in ambush.
now without, now in the broadways, — and she lieth in wait at every corner.
13 So she grabbed him and kissed him, with a strong face she said to him,
And she caught him and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him,
14 “I made my peace offering today, I paid my vows,
I have peace-offerings with me; this day have I paid my vows:
15 so came I out to meet you, to eagerly seek your face, and I have found you.
therefore came I forth to meet thee, to seek earnestly thy face, and I have found thee.
16 I have spread coverings on my bed, colored linens from Egypt.
I have decked my bed with tapestry coverlets of variegated linen from Egypt;
17 I have sprinkled my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
I have perfumed my couch with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us drink our fill of love until morning; let us take great pleasure in acts of love.
Come, let us revel in love until the morning, let us delight ourselves with loves.
19 For my husband is not at his house; he has gone on a long journey.
For the husband is not at home, he is gone a long journey;
20 He took a bag of money with him; he will return on the day of the full moon.”
he hath taken the money-bag with him, he will come home on the day of the full moon.
21 With much talk she turned him; with her smooth lips she misled him.
With her much enticement she beguiled him; with the smoothness of her lips she constrained him.
22 He went after her suddenly like an ox going to slaughter, like a deer caught in a trap,
He went after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, and as stocks [serve] for the correction of the fool;
23 until an arrow pierces through its liver. He was like a bird rushing into a snare. He did not know that it would cost his life.
till an arrow strike through his liver: as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for its life.
24 Now, my sons, listen to me; pay attention to the words of my mouth.
And now, ye sons, hearken unto me, and attend to the words of my mouth.
25 May your heart not turn aside onto her paths; do not be led astray onto her paths.
Let not thy heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths:
26 She has caused many people to fall down pierced; her dead victims are very many.
for she hath cast down many wounded, and all slain by her were strong.
