Proverbs 7
1 My son! keep my sayings, And my commands lay up with thee.
My son, keep my words, And treasure 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! Yea, my teaching, 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 tablet 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 near acquaintance;
5 To preserve thee from a strange woman, From a stranger who hath made smooth her sayings.
That they may keep thee from the wife of another, From the stranger, that useth smooth words.
6 For, at a window of my house, Through my casement I have looked out,
For through the window of my house, Through the lattice I was looking forth,
7 And I do see among the simple ones, I discern among the sons, A young man lacking understanding,
And I saw 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,
He was passing through the street near her corner, And was going the way to her house,
9 In the twilight — in the evening of day, In the darkness of night and blackness.
At twilight, in the evening, At midnight, yea, in the thick darkness.
10 And, lo, a woman to meet him — (A harlot's dress, and watchful of heart,
And, behold, a woman met him, In the attire of a harlot, and subtle of heart, —
11 Noisy she [is], and stubborn, In her house her feet rest not.
One noisy and unruly, Whose feet abide not in her house;
12 Now in an out-place, now in broad places, And near every corner she lieth in wait) —
Who is now in the streets, now in the broad places, And lurketh near every corner.
13 And she laid hold on him, and kissed him, She hath hardened her face, and saith to him,
She caught hold of him and kissed him, And with a shameless face said to him,
14 'Sacrifices of peace-offerings [are] by me, To-day I have completed my vows.
“Thank-offerings have been upon me, And this day have I performed 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 spread my bed with coverlets, With tapestry of the thread of Egypt.
17 I sprinkled my bed — myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
I have sprinkled 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 caresses.
19 For the man is not in his house, He hath gone on a long journey.
For the good-man 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 purse of money with him; At the day of the full moon he will return.”
21 She turneth him aside with the abundance of her speech, With the flattery of her lips she forceth him.
By her much fair speech she seduced him; By the smoothness of her lips she drew him away.
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 one in fetters to the chastisement of 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 strike through his liver; —As a bird hasteneth into the snare, And knoweth not that it is laid for its life.
24 And now, ye sons, hearken to me, And give attention to sayings of my mouth.
Now, therefore, ye children, hearken 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,
Let not thy heart turn aside 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 many are the wounded which she hath cast down; Yea, countless is the number of those slain by her.
