Proverbs 7
1 My son, keep my words. Lay up my commandments within you.
My son! keep my sayings, And my commands lay up with thee.
2 Keep my commandments and live! Guard my teaching as the apple of your eye.
Keep my commands, and live, And my law as the pupil of thine eye.
3 Bind them on your fingers. Write them on the tablet of your heart.
Bind them on thy fingers, Write them on the tablet of thy heart.
4 Tell wisdom, “You are my sister.” Call understanding your relative,
Say to wisdom, 'My sister Thou [art].' And cry to understanding, 'Kinswoman!'
5 that they may keep you from the strange woman, from the foreigner who flatters with her words.
To preserve thee from a strange woman, From a stranger who hath made smooth her sayings.
6 For at the window of my house, I looked out through my lattice.
For, at a window of my house, Through my casement I have looked out,
7 I saw among the simple ones. I discerned among the youths a young man void of understanding,
And I do see among the simple ones, I discern among the sons, A young man lacking understanding,
8 passing through the street near her corner, he went the way to her house,
Passing on in the street, near her corner, And the way [to] her house he doth step,
9 in the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the middle of the night and in the darkness.
In the twilight — in the evening of day, In the darkness of night and blackness.
10 Behold, there a woman met him with the attire of a prostitute, and with crafty intent.
And, lo, a woman to meet him — (A harlot's dress, and watchful of heart,
11 She is loud and defiant. Her feet don’t stay in her house.
Noisy she [is], and stubborn, In her house her feet rest not.
12 Now she is in the streets, now in the squares, and lurking at every corner.
Now in an out-place, now in broad places, And near every corner she lieth in wait) —
13 So she caught him, and kissed him. With an impudent face she said to him:
And she laid hold on him, and kissed him, She hath hardened her face, and saith to him,
14 “Sacrifices of peace offerings are with me. Today I have paid my vows.
'Sacrifices of peace-offerings [are] by me, To-day I have completed my vows.
15 Therefore I came out to meet you, to diligently seek your face, and I have found you.
Therefore I have come forth to meet thee, To seek earnestly thy face, and I find thee.
16 I have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry, with striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt.
[With] ornamental coverings I decked my couch, Carved works — cotton of Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
I sprinkled 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, we are filled [with] loves till the morning, We delight ourselves in loves.
19 For my husband isn’t at home. He has gone on a long journey.
For the man is not in his house, He hath gone on a long journey.
20 He has taken a bag of money with him. He will come home at the full moon.”
A bag of money he hath taken in his hand, At the day of the new moon he cometh to his house.'
21 With persuasive words, she led him astray. With the flattering of her lips, she seduced him.
She turneth him aside with the abundance of her speech, With the flattery of her lips she forceth him.
22 He followed her immediately, as an ox goes to the slaughter, as a fool stepping into a noose.
He is going after her straightway, As an ox unto the slaughter he cometh, And as a fetter unto the chastisement of a fool,
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.
Till an arrow doth split his liver, As a bird hath hastened unto a snare, And hath not known that it [is] for its life.
24 Now therefore, sons, listen to me. Pay attention to the words of my mouth.
And now, ye sons, hearken to me, And give attention to sayings of my mouth.
25 Don’t let your heart turn to her ways. Don’t go astray in her paths,
Let not thy heart turn unto her ways, Do not wander in her paths,
26 for she has thrown down many wounded. Yes, all her slain are a mighty army.
For many [are] the wounded she caused to fall, And mighty [are] all her slain ones.
