< Proverbs 7 >

1 My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with you.
[My] son, keep my words, and hide with thee my commandments. [My] son, honour the Lord, and thou shalt be strong; and fear none but him:
2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of your eye.
keep my commandments, and thou shalt live; and [keep] my words as the pupils of [thine] eyes.
3 Bind them upon your fingers, write them upon the table of your heart.
And bind them on thy fingers, and write [them] on the table of thine heart.
4 Say unto wisdom, You are my sister; and call understanding your kinswoman:
Say that wisdom is thy sister, and gain prudence as an acquaintance for thyself;
5 That they may keep you from the strange woman, from the stranger which flatters with her words.
that she may keep thee from the strange and wicked woman, if she should assail thee with flattering words.
6 For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,
For she looks from a window out of her house into the streets, at one whom she may see of the senseless ones, a young man void of understanding,
7 And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,
passing by the corner in the passages near her house,
8 Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,
and speaking, in the dark of the evening,
9 In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:
when there happens [to be] the stillness of night and of darkness:
10 And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtle of heart.
and the woman meets him having the appearance of a harlot, that causes the hearts of young men to flutter.
11 (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:
And she is fickle, and debauched, and her feet abide not at home.
12 Now is she without, now in the streets, and lies in wait at every corner.)
For at one time she wanders without, and at [another] time she lies in wait in the streets, at every corner.
13 So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an shameless face said unto him,
Then she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said to him,
14 I have peace offerings with me; this day have I paid my vows.
I have a peace-offering; today I pay my vows:
15 Therefore came I forth to meet you, diligently to seek your face, and I have found you.
therefore I came forth to meet thee, desiring thy face; [and] I have found thee.
16 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.
I have spread my bed with sheets, and I have covered it with double tapestry from Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
I have sprinkled my couch with saffron, and my house with cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.
Come, and let us enjoy love until the morning; come, and let us embrace in love.
19 For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey:
For my husband is not at home, but is gone on a long journey,
20 He has taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed.
having taken in his hand a bundle of money: after many days he will return to his house.
21 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.
So with much converse she prevailed on him to go astray, and with the snares of her lips forced him from [the right path].
22 He goes after her immediately, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;
And he followed her, being gently led on, and [that] as an ox is led to the slaughter, and as a dog to bonds, or as a hart shot in the liver with an arrow:
23 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hastes to the snare, and knows not that it is for his life.
and he hastens as a bird into a snare, not knowing that he is running for [his] life.
24 Hearken unto me now therefore, O all of you children, and attend to the words of my mouth.
Now then, [my] son, hearken to me, and attend to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not your heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.
Let not thine heart turn aside to her ways:
26 For she has cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.
for she has wounded and cast down many, and those whom she has slain are innumerable.
27 Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death. (Sheol h7585)
Her house is the way of hell, leading down to the chambers of death. (Sheol h7585)

< Proverbs 7 >