Proverbs 7
1 My son! keep my sayings, And my commands lay up with thee.
My son, keep my words and treasure my commandments within you.
2 Keep my commands, and live, And my law as the pupil of thine eye.
Keep my commandments and live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
3 Bind them on thy fingers, Write them on the tablet of thy heart.
Tie them to your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, 'My sister Thou [art].' And cry to understanding, 'Kinswoman!'
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call understanding your kinsman,
5 To preserve thee from a strange woman, From a stranger who hath made smooth her sayings.
that they may keep you from the adulteress, from the stranger with seductive words.
6 For, at a window of my house, Through my casement I have looked out,
For at the window of my house I looked through the lattice.
7 And I do see among the simple ones, I discern among the sons, A young man lacking understanding,
I saw among the simple, I noticed among the youths, a young man lacking judgment,
8 Passing on in the street, near her corner, And the way [to] her house he doth step,
crossing the street near her corner, strolling down the road to her house,
9 In the twilight — in the evening of day, In the darkness of night and blackness.
at twilight, as the day was fading into the dark of the night.
10 And, lo, a woman to meet him — (A harlot's dress, and watchful of heart,
Then a woman came out to meet him, with the attire of a harlot and cunning of heart.
11 Noisy she [is], and stubborn, In her house her feet rest not.
She is loud and defiant; her feet do not remain at home.
12 Now in an out-place, now in broad places, And near every corner she lieth in wait) —
Now in the street, now in the squares, she lurks at every corner.
13 And she laid hold on him, and kissed him, She hath hardened her face, and saith to him,
She seizes him and kisses him; she brazenly says to him:
14 'Sacrifices of peace-offerings [are] by me, To-day I have completed my vows.
“I have made my peace offerings; today I have paid my vows.
15 Therefore I have come forth to meet thee, To seek earnestly thy face, and I find thee.
So I came out to meet you; I sought you, and I have found you.
16 [With] ornamental coverings I decked my couch, Carved works — cotton of Egypt.
I have decked my bed with coverings, with colored linen from Egypt.
17 I sprinkled my bed — myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, with aloes, and with cinnamon.
18 Come, we are filled [with] loves till the morning, We delight ourselves in loves.
Come, let us take our fill of love till morning. Let us delight in loving caresses!
19 For the man is not in his house, He hath gone on a long journey.
For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey.
20 A bag of money he hath taken in his hand, At the day of the new moon he cometh to his house.'
He took with him a bag of money and will not return till the moon is full.”
21 She turneth him aside with the abundance of her speech, With the flattery of her lips she forceth him.
With her great persuasion she entices him; with her flattering lips she lures him.
22 He is going after her straightway, As an ox unto the slaughter he cometh, And as a fetter unto the chastisement of a fool,
He follows her on impulse, like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer bounding into a trap,
23 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.
until an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare— not knowing it will cost him his life.
24 And now, ye sons, hearken to me, And give attention to sayings of my mouth.
Now, my sons, listen to me, and attend to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not thy heart turn unto her ways, Do not wander in her paths,
Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths.
26 For many [are] the wounded she caused to fall, And mighty [are] all her slain ones.
For she has brought many down to death; her slain are many in number.
