Proverbs 7
1 My son! keep my sayings, And my commands lay up with thee.
My sonne, keepe my wordes, and hide my commandements with thee.
2 Keep my commands, and live, And my law as the pupil of thine eye.
Keepe my commandements, and thou shalt liue, and mine instruction as the apple of thine eyes.
3 Bind them on thy fingers, Write them on the tablet of thy heart.
Binde them vpon thy fingers, and write them vpon the table of thine heart.
4 Say to wisdom, 'My sister Thou [art].' And cry to understanding, 'Kinswoman!'
Say vnto wisedome, Thou art my sister: and call vnderstanding thy kinswoman,
5 To preserve thee from a strange woman, From a stranger who hath made smooth her sayings.
That they may keepe thee from the strange woman, euen from the stranger that is smoothe in her wordes.
6 For, at a window of my house, Through my casement I have looked out,
As I was in the window of mine house, I looked through my windowe,
7 And I do see among the simple ones, I discern among the sons, A young man lacking understanding,
And I sawe among the fooles, and considered among the children a yong man destitute of vnderstanding,
8 Passing on in the street, near her corner, And the way [to] her house he doth step,
Who passed through the streete by her corner, and went toward her house,
9 In the twilight — in the evening of day, In the darkness of night and blackness.
In the twilight in the euening, when the night began to be blacke and darke.
10 And, lo, a woman to meet him — (A harlot's dress, and watchful of heart,
And beholde, there met him a woman with an harlots behauiour, and subtill in heart.
11 Noisy she [is], and stubborn, In her house her feet rest not.
(She is babling and loud: whose feete can not abide in her house.
12 Now in an out-place, now in broad places, And near every corner she lieth in wait) —
Nowe she is without, nowe in the streetes, and lyeth in waite at euery corner)
13 And she laid hold on him, and kissed him, She hath hardened her face, and saith to him,
So she caught him and kissed him and with an impudent face said vnto him,
14 'Sacrifices of peace-offerings [are] by me, To-day I have completed my vows.
I haue peace offerings: this day haue I payed my vowes.
15 Therefore I have come forth to meet thee, To seek earnestly thy face, and I find thee.
Therefore came I forth to meete thee, that I might seeke thy face: and I haue found thee.
16 [With] ornamental coverings I decked my couch, Carved works — cotton of Egypt.
I haue deckt my bed with ornaments, carpets and laces of Egypt.
17 I sprinkled my bed — myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
I haue perfumed my bedde with myrrhe, aloes, and cynamom.
18 Come, we are filled [with] loves till the morning, We delight ourselves in loves.
Come, let vs take our fill of loue vntill the morning: let vs take our pleasure in daliance.
19 For the man is not in his house, He hath gone on a long journey.
For mine husband is not at home: he is gone a iourney farre off.
20 A bag of money he hath taken in his hand, At the day of the new moon he cometh to his house.'
He hath taken with him a bagge of siluer, and will come home at the day appointed.
21 She turneth him aside with the abundance of her speech, With the flattery of her lips she forceth him.
Thus with her great craft she caused him to yeelde, and with her flattering lips she entised 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,
And he followed her straight wayes, as an oxe that goeth to the slaughter, and as a foole to the stockes for correction,
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.
Till a dart strike through his liuer, as a bird hasteth to the snare, not knowing that he is in danger.
24 And now, ye sons, hearken to me, And give attention to sayings of my mouth.
Heare me now therefore, O children, and hearken to the wordes of my mouth.
25 Let not thy heart turn unto her ways, Do not wander in her paths,
Let not thine heart decline to her wayes: wander thou not in her paths.
26 For many [are] the wounded she caused to fall, And mighty [are] all her slain ones.
For shee hath caused many to fall downe wounded, and the strong men are all slaine by her.
