מִשְׁלֵי 5

1 בְּנִי לְחָכְמָתִי הַקְשִׁיבָה לִתְבוּנָתִי הַט־אָזְנֶֽךָ׃

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

2 לִשְׁמֹר מְזִמּוֹת וְדַעַת שְׂפָתֶיךָ יִנְצֹֽרוּ׃

That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy 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 twoedged 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 תֵדֽ͏ָע׃

Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.

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

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

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

Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:

9 פֶּן־תִּתֵּן לַאֲחֵרִים הוֹדֶךָ וּשְׁנֹתֶיךָ לְאַכְזָרִֽי׃

Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:

10 פֶּֽן־יִשְׂבְּעוּ זָרִים כֹּחֶךָ וַעֲצָבֶיךָ בְּבֵית נָכְרֽ͏ִי׃

Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;

11 וְנָהַמְתָּ בְאַחֲרִיתֶךָ בִּכְלוֹת בְּשָׂרְךָ וּשְׁאֵרֶֽךָ׃

And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy 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 לֹא־הִטִּיתִי אָזְנִֽי׃

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

14 כִּמְעַט הָיִיתִי בְכָל־רָע בְּתוֹךְ קָהָל וְעֵדָֽה׃

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

15 שְׁתֵה־מַיִם מִבּוֹרֶךָ וְנֹזְלִים מִתּוֹךְ בְּאֵרֶֽךָ׃

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

16 יָפוּצוּ מַעְיְנֹתֶיךָ חוּצָה בָּרְחֹבוֹת פַּלְגֵי־מָֽיִם׃

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

17 יִֽהְיוּ־לְךָ לְבַדֶּךָ וְאֵין לְזָרִים אִתָּֽךְ׃

Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee.

18 יְהִֽי־מְקוֹרְךָ בָרוּךְ וּשְׂמַח מֵאֵשֶׁת נְעוּרֶֽךָ׃

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

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

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

20 וְלָמָּה תִשְׁגֶּה בְנִי בְזָרָה וּתְחַבֵּק חֵק נָכְרִיָּֽה׃

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

21 כִּי נֹכַח ׀ עֵינֵי יְהוָה דַּרְכֵי־אִישׁ וְֽכָל־מַעְגְּלֹתָיו מְפַלֵּֽס׃

For the ways of man are before the eyes of YHWH, and he pondereth all his goings.

22 עַֽווֹנוֹתָיו יִלְכְּדֻנוֹ אֶת־הָרָשָׁע וּבְחַבְלֵי חַטָּאתוֹ יִתָּמֵֽךְ׃

His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden 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.