Proverbs 7
1 My son! keep my sayings, And my commands lay up with thee.
My son, keep my sayings, and let my rules be stored up with you.
2 Keep my commands, and live, And my law as the pupil of thine eye.
Keep my rules and you will have life; let my teaching be to you as the light of your eyes;
3 Bind them on thy fingers, Write them on the tablet of thy heart.
Let them be fixed to your fingers, and recorded in your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, 'My sister Thou [art].' And cry to understanding, 'Kinswoman!'
Say to wisdom, You are my sister; let knowledge be named your special friend:
5 To preserve thee from a strange woman, From a stranger who hath made smooth her sayings.
So that they may keep you from the strange woman, even from her whose words are smooth.
6 For, at a window of my house, Through my casement I have looked out,
Looking out from my house, and watching through the window,
7 And I do see among the simple ones, I discern among the sons, A young man lacking understanding,
I saw among the young men one without sense,
8 Passing on in the street, near her corner, And the way [to] her house he doth step,
Walking in the street near the turn of her road, going on the way to her house,
9 In the twilight — in the evening of day, In the darkness of night and blackness.
At nightfall, in the evening of the day, in the black dark of the night.
10 And, lo, a woman to meet him — (A harlot's dress, and watchful of heart,
And the woman came out to him, in the dress of a loose woman, with a designing heart;
11 Noisy she [is], and stubborn, In her house her feet rest not.
She is full of noise and uncontrolled; her feet keep not in her house.
12 Now in an out-place, now in broad places, And near every corner she lieth in wait) —
Now she is in the street, now in the open spaces, waiting at every turning of the road.
13 And she laid hold on him, and kissed him, She hath hardened her face, and saith to him,
So she took him by his hand, kissing him, and without a sign of shame she said to him:
14 'Sacrifices of peace-offerings [are] by me, To-day I have completed my vows.
I have a feast of peace-offerings, for today my oaths have been effected.
15 Therefore I have come forth to meet thee, To seek earnestly thy face, and I find thee.
So I came out in the hope of meeting you, looking for you with care, and now I have you.
16 [With] ornamental coverings I decked my couch, Carved works — cotton of Egypt.
My bed is covered with cushions of needlework, with coloured cloths of the cotton thread of Egypt;
17 I sprinkled my bed — myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
I have made my bed sweet with perfumes and spices.
18 Come, we are filled [with] loves till the morning, We delight ourselves in loves.
Come, let us take our pleasure in love till the morning, having joy in love's delights.
19 For the man is not in his house, He hath gone on a long journey.
For the master of the house is away 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 has taken a bag of money with him; he is coming back at the full moon.
21 She turneth him aside with the abundance of her speech, With the flattery of her lips she forceth him.
With her fair words she overcame him, forcing him with her smooth lips.
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,
The simple man goes after her, like an ox going to its death, like a roe pulled by a cord;
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.
Like a bird falling into a net; with no thought that his life is in danger, till an arrow goes into his side.
24 And now, ye sons, hearken to me, And give attention to sayings of my mouth.
So now, my sons, give ear to me; give attention to the sayings of my mouth;
25 Let not thy heart turn unto her ways, Do not wander in her paths,
Let not your heart be turned to her ways, do not go wandering in her footsteps.
26 For many [are] the wounded she caused to fall, And mighty [are] all her slain ones.
For those wounded and made low by her are great in number; and all those who have come to their death through her are a great army.
