Proverbs 7
1 My son! keep my sayings, And my commands lay up with thee.
My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
2 Keep my commands, and live, And my law as the pupil of thine eye.
Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.
3 Bind them on thy fingers, Write them on the tablet of thy heart.
Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.
4 Say to wisdom, 'My sister Thou [art].' And cry to understanding, 'Kinswoman!'
Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:
5 To preserve thee from a strange woman, From a stranger who hath made smooth her sayings.
That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her 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 my casement,
7 And I do see among the simple ones, I discern among the sons, A young man lacking understanding,
And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,
8 Passing on in the street, near her corner, And the way [to] her house he doth step,
Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,
9 In the twilight — in the evening of day, In the darkness of night and blackness.
In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:
10 And, lo, a woman to meet him — (A harlot's dress, and watchful of heart,
And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.
11 Noisy she [is], and stubborn, In her house her feet rest not.
(She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:
12 Now in an out-place, now in broad places, And near every corner she lieth in wait) —
Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every 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 unto him,
14 'Sacrifices of peace-offerings [are] by me, To-day I have completed my vows.
I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.
15 Therefore I have come forth to meet thee, To seek earnestly thy face, and I find thee.
Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.
16 [With] ornamental coverings I decked my couch, Carved works — cotton of Egypt.
I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.
17 I sprinkled my bed — myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, we are filled [with] loves till the morning, We delight ourselves in loves.
Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.
19 For the man is not in his house, He hath gone on a long journey.
For the goodman is not at home, he is gone 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 hath taken a bag of money with him, 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.
With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced 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 goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;
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 liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.
24 And now, ye sons, hearken to me, And give attention to sayings of my mouth.
Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words 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 ways, go not astray in her paths.
26 For many [are] the wounded she caused to fall, And mighty [are] all her slain ones.
For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.
