Proverbs 7
1 My son, keep my words. Lay up my commandments within you.
My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
2 Keep my commandments and live! Guard my teaching as the apple of your eye.
Keep my commandments, and live; and my teaching, as the apple of thine eye.
3 Bind them on your fingers. Write them on the tablet of your heart.
Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the tablet of thy heart.
4 Tell wisdom, “You are my sister.” Call understanding your relative,
Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister, and call intelligence [thy] kinswoman:
5 that they may keep you from the strange woman, from the foreigner who flatters with her words.
that they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger who flattereth with her words.
6 For at the window of my house, I looked out through my lattice.
For at the window of my house, I looked forth through my lattice,
7 I saw amongst the simple ones. I discerned amongst the youths a young man void of understanding,
and I beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the sons, a young man void of understanding,
8 passing through the street near her corner, he went the way to her house,
passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,
9 in the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the middle of the night and in the darkness.
in the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the blackness of night and the darkness.
10 Behold, there a woman met him with the attire of a prostitute, and with crafty intent.
And behold, there met him a woman in the attire of a harlot, and subtle of heart.
11 She is loud and defiant. Her feet don’t stay in her house.
She is clamorous and unmanageable; her feet abide not in her house:
12 Now she is in the streets, now in the squares, and lurking at every corner.
now without, now in the broadways, — and she lieth in wait at every corner.
13 So she caught him, and kissed him. With an impudent face she said to him:
And she caught him and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him,
14 “Sacrifices of peace offerings are with me. Today I have paid my vows.
I have peace-offerings with me; this day have I paid my vows:
15 Therefore I came out to meet you, to diligently seek your face, and I have found you.
therefore came I forth to meet thee, to seek earnestly thy face, and I have found thee.
16 I have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry, with striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt.
I have decked my bed with tapestry coverlets of variegated linen from Egypt;
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
I have perfumed my couch with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s take our fill of loving until the morning. Let’s solace ourselves with loving.
Come, let us revel in love until the morning, let us delight ourselves with loves.
19 For my husband isn’t at home. He has gone on a long journey.
For the husband is not at home, he is gone a long journey;
20 He has taken a bag of money with him. He will come home at the full moon.”
he hath taken the money-bag with him, he will come home on the day of the full moon.
21 With persuasive words, she led him astray. With the flattering of her lips, she seduced him.
With her much enticement she beguiled him; with the smoothness of her lips she constrained him.
22 He followed her immediately, as an ox goes to the slaughter, as a fool stepping into a noose.
He went after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, and as stocks [serve] for the correction of the fool;
23 Until an arrow strikes through his liver, as a bird hurries to the snare, and doesn’t know that it will cost his life.
till an arrow strike through his liver: as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for its life.
24 Now therefore, sons, listen to me. Pay attention to the words of my mouth.
And now, ye sons, hearken unto me, and attend to the words of my mouth.
25 Don’t let your heart turn to her ways. Don’t go astray in her paths,
Let not thy heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths:
26 for she has thrown down many wounded. Yes, all her slain are a mighty army.
for she hath cast down many wounded, and all slain by her were strong.
