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 law 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 table of thine heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call understanding your kinsman,
Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding 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 which 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 through my casement,
7 I looked at the naive people, and I noticed among the young men a youth who had no sense.
And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, 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, in the black and dark night:
10 There a woman met him, dressed like a prostitute, with a false heart.
And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.
11 She was loud and wayward; her feet did not stay at home.
(She is loud and stubborn; 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 is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)
13 So she grabbed him and kissed him, with a strong face she said to him,
So 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 payed 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, diligently to seek 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 coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.
17 I have sprinkled my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
I have perfumed my bed 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 take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.
19 For my husband is not at his house; he has gone on a long journey.
For the goodman 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 a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed.
21 With much talk she turned him; with her smooth lips she misled him.
With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.
22 He went after her suddenly like an ox going to slaughter, like a deer caught in a trap,
He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;
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 a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.
24 Now, my sons, listen to me; pay attention to the words of my mouth.
Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, 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 thine 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: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.
