Proverbs 7
1 My son, keep my words. Lay up my commandments within you.
My son, accept what I say and value my instructions.
2 Keep my commandments and live! Guard my teaching as the apple of your eye.
Do what I tell you and you will live. Observe my teachings, valuing them as your main focus in life.
3 Bind them on your fingers. Write them on the tablet of your heart.
Tie them to your fingers; write them in your mind.
4 Tell wisdom, “You are my sister.” Call understanding your relative,
Tell wisdom, “You're my sister,” and call insight your best friend.
5 that they may keep you from the strange woman, from the foreigner who flatters with her words.
They will protect you from the immoral woman, from the prostitute with her seductive words.
6 For at the window of my house, I looked out through my lattice.
One time I looked through the lattice of the window in my house,
7 I saw amongst the simple ones. I discerned amongst the youths a young man void of understanding,
and I saw among the immature young men one who had no sense at all.
8 passing through the street near her corner, he went the way to her house,
He was walking down the street near the corner where she lived and took the road passing her house.
9 in the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the middle of the night and in the darkness.
It was at dusk in the evening, as the light was fading and the dark night closed in.
10 Behold, there a woman met him with the attire of a prostitute, and with crafty intent.
Then out came a woman came to meet him. She was dressed as a prostitute and had deceptive intentions.
11 She is loud and defiant. Her feet don’t stay in her house.
(She was loud and provocative, never wanting to stay at home.
12 Now she is in the streets, now in the squares, and lurking at every corner.
One moment she'd be walking the streets, the next she'd be there in the town squares, loitering at every corner.)
13 So she caught him, and kissed him. With an impudent face she said to him:
She grabbed hold of him and kissed him, and with a bold face she told him,
14 “Sacrifices of peace offerings are with me. Today I have paid my vows.
“I sacrificed my peace offering today, and paid my vows.
15 Therefore I came out to meet you, to diligently seek your face, and I have found you.
That's why I came out to meet you. I was looking for you and now I've found you!
16 I have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry, with striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt.
My bed is made, covered with colorful linens from Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
I've sprinkled perfume on my bed—myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s take our fill of loving until the morning. Let’s solace ourselves with loving.
Come with me, let's make love until the morning. Let's enjoy one another in our love-making!
19 For my husband isn’t at home. He has gone on a long journey.
My husband isn't home; he's gone on a long trip.
20 He has taken a bag of money with him. He will come home at the full moon.”
He took a bag of money with him, and he won't be coming back until the full moon.”
21 With persuasive words, she led him astray. With the flattering of her lips, she seduced him.
She convinced him with all that she said; she seduced him with her smooth talking.
22 He followed her immediately, as an ox goes to the slaughter, as a fool stepping into a noose.
He followed her right away, like an ox to the slaughter. Like a stag that's caught in a snare
23 Until an arrow strikes through his liver, as a bird hurries to the snare, and doesn’t know that it will cost his life.
until an arrow pierces its liver, like a bird flying into a trap, he's unaware he will pay with his life.
24 Now therefore, sons, listen to me. Pay attention to the words of my mouth.
So now listen to me, my sons, and pay attention to what I'm saying.
25 Don’t let your heart turn to her ways. Don’t go astray in her paths,
Don't even think about following her. Don't stray down her road.
26 for she has thrown down many wounded. Yes, all her slain are a mighty army.
For she has brought down and destroyed a lot of men; she's killed so many.
