מִשְׁלֵי 5

1 בְּנִי לְחׇכְמָתִי הַקְשִׁיבָה לִתְבוּנָתִי הַט־אׇזְנֶֽךָ׃

My son, attend to my wisdom, and bow your ear to my understanding:

2 לִשְׁמֹר מְזִמּוֹת וְדַעַת שְׂפָתֶיךָ יִנְצֹֽרוּ׃

That you may regard discretion, and that your lips may keep knowledge.

3 כִּי נֹפֶת תִּטֹּפְנָה שִׂפְתֵי זָרָה וְחָלָק מִשֶּׁמֶן חִכָּֽהּ׃

For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:

4 וְֽאַחֲרִיתָהּ מָרָה כַֽלַּעֲנָה חַדָּה כְּחֶרֶב פִּיּֽוֹת׃

But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.

5 רַגְלֶיהָ יֹרְדוֹת מָוֶת שְׁאוֹל צְעָדֶיהָ יִתְמֹֽכוּ׃ (Sheol h7585)

Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell. (Sheol h7585)

6 אֹרַח חַיִּים פֶּן־תְּפַלֵּס נָעוּ מַעְגְּלֹתֶיהָ לֹא תֵדָֽע׃

Lest you should ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that you can not know them.

7 וְעַתָּה בָנִים שִׁמְעוּ־לִי וְאַל־תָּסוּרוּ מֵאִמְרֵי־פִֽי׃

Hear me now therefore, O you children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.

8 הַרְחֵק מֵעָלֶיהָ דַרְכֶּךָ וְאַל־תִּקְרַב אֶל־פֶּתַח בֵּיתָֽהּ׃

Remove your way far from her, and come not near the door of her house:

9 פֶּן־תִּתֵּן לַאֲחֵרִים הוֹדֶךָ וּשְׁנֹתֶיךָ לְאַכְזָרִֽי׃

Lest you give your honor to others, and your years to the cruel:

10 פֶּֽן־יִשְׂבְּעוּ זָרִים כֹּחֶךָ וַעֲצָבֶיךָ בְּבֵית נׇכְרִֽי׃

Lest strangers be filled with your wealth; and your labors be in the house of a stranger;

11 וְנָהַמְתָּ בְאַחֲרִיתֶךָ בִּכְלוֹת בְּשָׂרְךָ וּשְׁאֵרֶֽךָ׃

And you mourn at the last, when your flesh and your body are consumed,

12 וְֽאָמַרְתָּ אֵיךְ שָׂנֵאתִי מוּסָר וְתוֹכַחַת נָאַץ לִבִּֽי׃

And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;

13 וְֽלֹא־שָׁמַעְתִּי בְּקוֹל מוֹרָי וְלִֽמְלַמְּדַי לֹֽא־הִטִּיתִי אׇזְנִֽי׃

And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined my ear to them that instructed me!

14 כִּמְעַט הָיִיתִי בְכׇל־רָע בְּתוֹךְ קָהָל וְעֵדָֽה׃

I was almost in all evil in the middle of the congregation and assembly.

15 שְׁתֵה־מַיִם מִבּוֹרֶךָ וְנֹזְלִים מִתּוֹךְ בְּאֵרֶֽךָ׃

Drink waters out of your own cistern, and running waters out of your own well.

16 יָפוּצוּ מַעְיְנֹתֶיךָ חוּצָה בָּרְחֹבוֹת פַּלְגֵי־מָֽיִם׃

Let your fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets.

17 יִֽהְיוּ־לְךָ לְבַדֶּךָ וְאֵין לְזָרִים אִתָּֽךְ׃

Let them be only your own, and not strangers’ with you.

18 יְהִֽי־מְקוֹרְךָ בָרוּךְ וּשְׂמַח מֵאֵשֶׁת נְעוּרֶֽךָ׃

Let your fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of your youth.

19 אַיֶּלֶת אֲהָבִים וְֽיַעֲלַת־חֵן דַּדֶּיהָ יְרַוֻּךָ בְכׇל־עֵת בְּאַהֲבָתָהּ תִּשְׁגֶּה תָמִֽיד׃

Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy you at all times; and be you ravished always with her love.

20 וְלָמָּה תִשְׁגֶּה בְנִי בְזָרָה וּתְחַבֵּק חֵק נׇכְרִיָּֽה׃

And why will you, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?

21 כִּי נֹכַח ׀ עֵינֵי יְהֹוָה דַּרְכֵי־אִישׁ וְֽכׇל־מַעְגְּלֹתָיו מְפַלֵּֽס׃

For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he ponders all his goings.

22 עֲֽווֹנֹתָיו יִלְכְּדֻנוֹ אֶת־הָרָשָׁע וּבְחַבְלֵי חַטָּאתוֹ יִתָּמֵֽךְ׃

His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be held with the cords of his sins.

23 הוּא יָמוּת בְּאֵין מוּסָר וּבְרֹב אִוַּלְתּוֹ יִשְׁגֶּֽה׃

He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.