Proverbs 7
1 My son! keep my sayings, And my commands lay up with thee.
My son, observe my sayings, and my commandments must thou treasure up with thee.
2 Keep my commands, and live, And my law as the pupil of thine eye.
Observe my commandments, and live: and my teaching as the apple of thy eyes.
3 Bind them on thy fingers, Write them on the tablet of thy heart.
Bind them around thy fingers, write them upon the table of thy 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 an adulterous woman, from an alien that useth flattering speeches.
6 For, at a window of my house, Through my casement I have looked out,
For through the window of my house, through my lattice did I [once] look out,
7 And I do see among the simple ones, I discern among the sons, A young man lacking understanding,
And I beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a lad void of sense;
8 Passing on in the street, near her corner, And the way [to] her house he doth step,
He was passing through the market-place near her corner; and he stepped along on 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 of the day, in the depth of the night and when it was dark:
10 And, lo, a woman to meet him — (A harlot's dress, and watchful of heart,
And, behold, a woman came to meet him with the attire of a harlot, and obdurate of heart.
11 Noisy she [is], and stubborn, In her house her feet rest not.
(She is noisy and ungovernable; in her house her feet never rest;
12 Now in an out-place, now in broad places, And near every corner she lieth in wait) —
At one time she is in the street, at another in the open places, and near every corner doth she lurk, )
13 And she laid hold on him, and kissed him, She hath hardened her face, and saith to him,
And she caught hold of him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face she said to him,
14 'Sacrifices of peace-offerings [are] by me, To-day I have completed my vows.
“I had bound myself to bring peace-offerings; this day have I paid my vows:
15 Therefore I have come forth to meet thee, To seek earnestly thy face, and I find thee.
Therefore am I come forth to meet thee, to seek thy presence diligently, and I have found thee.
16 [With] ornamental coverings I decked my couch, Carved works — cotton of Egypt.
With tapestry coverings have I decked my bed, with embroidered coverlids of the fine linen of Egypt.
17 I sprinkled my bed — myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
I have sprinkled my couch with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, we are filled [with] loves till the morning, We delight ourselves in loves.
Come, let us indulge in love until the morning: let us delight ourselves with dalliances.
19 For the man is not in his house, He hath gone on a long journey.
For the man is not in his house, he is gone on a journey a great way off:
20 A bag of money he hath taken in his hand, At the day of the new moon he cometh to his house.'
The bag of money hath he taken with him, by the day of the new-moon festival only will he come home.”
21 She turneth him aside with the abundance of her speech, With the flattery of her lips she forceth him.
She seduced him by the abundance of her reasoning: by the flattery of her lips she misguided 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 followed after her suddenly, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, and as in fetters to his correction, the fool:
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 an arrow cleaveth through his liver; as a bird hasteneth into the snare, and knoweth not that it is done to take his life.
24 And now, ye sons, hearken to me, And give attention to sayings of my mouth.
And now, O children, hearken unto me, and listen to the sayings of my mouth.
25 Let not thy heart turn unto her ways, Do not wander in her paths,
Let not thy heart turn aside to her ways, do not go astray on her paths.
26 For many [are] the wounded she caused to fall, And mighty [are] all her slain ones.
For many deadly wounded hath she caused to fall: yea, very numerous are all those slain by her.
