מִשְׁלֵי 7
| בְּנִי שְׁמֹר אֲמָרָי וּמִצְוֺתַי תִּצְפֹּן אִתָּֽךְ׃ | 1 |
My son, guard my words and conceal my precepts within you.
| שְׁמֹר מִצְוֺתַי וֶחְיֵה וְתוֹרָתִי כְּאִישׁוֹן עֵינֶֽיךָ׃ | 2 |
Son, preserve my commandments, and you shall live. And keep my law as the pupil of your eye.
| קָשְׁרֵם עַל־אֶצְבְּעֹתֶיךָ כָּתְבֵם עַל־לוּחַ לִבֶּֽךָ׃ | 3 |
Bind it with your fingers; write it on the tablets of your heart.
| אֱמֹר לַֽחָכְמָה אֲחֹתִי אָתְּ וּמֹדָע לַבִּינָה תִקְרָֽא׃ | 4 |
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call prudence your friend.
| לִשְׁמָרְךָ מֵאִשָּׁה זָרָה מִנָּכְרִיָּה אֲמָרֶיהָ הֶחֱלִֽיקָה׃ | 5 |
So may she guard you from the woman who is an outsider, and from the stranger who sweetens her words.
| כִּי בְּחַלּוֹן בֵּיתִי בְּעַד אֶשְׁנַבִּי נִשְׁקָֽפְתִּי׃ | 6 |
For I gaze from the window of my house, through the lattice,
| וָאֵרֶא בַפְּתָאיִם אָבִינָה בַבָּנִים נַעַר חֲסַר־לֵֽב׃ | 7 |
and I see little ones. I consider a frenzied youth,
| עֹבֵר בַּשּׁוּק אֵצֶל פִּנָּהּ וְדֶרֶךְ בֵּיתָהּ יִצְעָֽד׃ | 8 |
who crosses the street at the corner and close to the way of that house.
| בְּנֶֽשֶׁף־בְּעֶרֶב יוֹם בְּאִישׁוֹן לַיְלָה וַאֲפֵלָֽה׃ | 9 |
He steps into shadows, as day becomes evening, into the darkness and gloom of the night.
| וְהִנֵּה אִשָּׁה לִקְרָאתוֹ שִׁית זוֹנָה וּנְצֻרַת לֵֽב׃ | 10 |
And behold, a woman meets him, dressed like a harlot, prepared to captivate souls: chattering and rambling,
| הֹמִיָּה הִיא וְסֹרָרֶת בְּבֵיתָהּ לֹא־יִשְׁכְּנוּ רַגְלֶֽיהָ׃ | 11 |
unwilling to bear silence, unable to keep her feet at home,
| פַּעַם ׀ בַּחוּץ פַּעַם בָּרְחֹבוֹת וְאֵצֶל כָּל־פִּנָּה תֶאֱרֹֽב׃ | 12 |
now outside, now in the streets, now lying in ambush near the corners.
| וְהֶחֱזִיקָה בּוֹ וְנָשְׁקָה־לּוֹ הֵעֵזָה פָנֶיהָ וַתֹּאמַר לֽוֹ׃ | 13 |
And overtaking the youth, she kisses him, and with a provocative face, she flatters him, saying:
| זִבְחֵי שְׁלָמִים עָלָי הַיּוֹם שִׁלַּמְתִּי נְדָרָֽי׃ | 14 |
“I vowed sacrifices for well-being. Today I have repaid my vows.
| עַל־כֵּן יָצָאתִי לִקְרָאתֶךָ לְשַׁחֵר פָּנֶיךָ וָאֶמְצָאֶֽךָּ׃ | 15 |
Because of this, I have gone out to meet you, desiring to see you, and I have found you.
| מַרְבַדִּים רָבַדְתִּי עַרְשִׂי חֲטֻבוֹת אֵטוּן מִצְרָֽיִם׃ | 16 |
I have woven my bed with cords. I have strewn it with embroidered tapestries from Egypt.
| נַפְתִּי מִשְׁכָּבִי מֹר אֲהָלִים וְקִנָּמֽוֹן׃ | 17 |
I have sprinkled my bed with myrrh, aloe, and cinnamon.
| לְכָה נִרְוֶה דֹדִים עַד־הַבֹּקֶר נִתְעַלְּסָה בָּאֳהָבִֽים׃ | 18 |
Come, let us be inebriated in abundance, and let us delight in the embraces of desire, until the day begins to dawn.
| כִּי אֵין הָאִישׁ בְּבֵיתוֹ הָלַךְ בְּדֶרֶךְ מֵרָחֽוֹק׃ | 19 |
For my husband is not in his house. He has gone away on a very long journey.
| צְֽרוֹר־הַכֶּסֶף לָקַח בְּיָדוֹ לְיוֹם הַכֵּסֶא יָבֹא בֵיתֽוֹ׃ | 20 |
He took with him a bag of money. He will return to his house on the day of the full moon.”
| הִטַּתּוּ בְּרֹב לִקְחָהּ בְּחֵלֶק שְׂפָתֶיהָ תַּדִּיחֶֽנּוּ׃ | 21 |
She enmeshed him with many words, and she drew him forward with the flattery of her lips.
| הוֹלֵךְ אַחֲרֶיהָ פִּתְאֹם כְּשׁוֹר אֶל־טָבַח יָבוֹא וּכְעֶכֶס אֶל־מוּסַר אֱוֽ͏ִיל׃ | 22 |
Immediately, he follows her, like an ox being led to the sacrifice, and like a lamb acting lasciviously, and not knowing that he is being drawn foolishly into chains,
| עַד יְפַלַּח חֵץ כְּֽבֵדוֹ כְּמַהֵר צִפּוֹר אֶל־פָּח וְלֹֽא־יָדַע כִּֽי־בְנַפְשׁוֹ הֽוּא׃ | 23 |
until the arrow pierces his liver. It is just as if a bird were to hurry into the snare. And he does not know that his actions endanger his own soul.
| וְעַתָּה בָנִים שִׁמְעוּ־לִי וְהַקְשִׁיבוּ לְאִמְרֵי־פִֽי׃ | 24 |
Therefore, my son, hear me now, and attend to the words of my mouth.
| אַל־יֵשְׂטְ אֶל־דְּרָכֶיהָ לִבֶּךָ אַל־תֵּתַע בִּנְתִיבוֹתֶֽיהָ׃ | 25 |
Do not let your mind be pulled into her ways. And do not be deceived by her paths.
| כִּֽי־רַבִּים חֲלָלִים הִפִּילָה וַעֲצֻמִים כָּל־הֲרֻגֶֽיהָ׃ | 26 |
For she has tossed aside many wounded, and some of those who were very strong have been slain by her.
