Proverbs 7
1 My son! keep my sayings, And my commands lay up with thee.
My son, keep my words and store up my commands within yourself.
2 Keep my commands, and live, And my law as the pupil of thine eye.
Keep my commands and live and keep my instruction as the apple of your eye.
3 Bind them on thy fingers, Write them on the tablet of thy heart.
Tie them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, 'My sister Thou [art].' And cry to understanding, 'Kinswoman!'
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call understanding your kinsman,
5 To preserve thee from a strange woman, From a stranger who hath made smooth her sayings.
in order to keep yourself from the adulterous woman, from the immoral woman with her smooth words.
6 For, at a window of my house, Through my casement I have looked out,
At the window of my house I was looking out through the lattice.
7 And I do see among the simple ones, I discern among the sons, A young man lacking understanding,
I looked at the naive people, and I noticed among the young men a youth who had no sense.
8 Passing on in the street, near her corner, And the way [to] her house he doth step,
That young man passed down the street near her corner, and he went toward her house.
9 In the twilight — in the evening of day, In the darkness of night and blackness.
It was twilight, in the evening of the day, at the time of night and darkness.
10 And, lo, a woman to meet him — (A harlot's dress, and watchful of heart,
There a woman met him, dressed like a prostitute, with a false heart.
11 Noisy she [is], and stubborn, In her house her feet rest not.
She was loud and wayward; her feet did not stay at home.
12 Now in an out-place, now in broad places, And near every corner she lieth in wait) —
Now in the streets, then in the market place, and at every corner she waited in ambush.
13 And she laid hold on him, and kissed him, She hath hardened her face, and saith to him,
So she grabbed him and kissed him, with a strong face she said to him,
14 'Sacrifices of peace-offerings [are] by me, To-day I have completed my vows.
“I made my peace offering today, I paid my vows,
15 Therefore I have come forth to meet thee, To seek earnestly thy face, and I find thee.
so came I out to meet you, to eagerly seek your face, and I have found you.
16 [With] ornamental coverings I decked my couch, Carved works — cotton of Egypt.
I have spread coverings on my bed, colored linens from Egypt.
17 I sprinkled my bed — myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
I have sprinkled my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, we are filled [with] loves till the morning, We delight ourselves in loves.
Come, let us drink our fill of love until morning; let us take great pleasure in acts of love.
19 For the man is not in his house, He hath gone on a long journey.
For my husband is not at his house; he has gone on a long journey.
20 A bag of money he hath taken in his hand, At the day of the new moon he cometh to his house.'
He took a bag of money with him; he will return on the day of the full moon.”
21 She turneth him aside with the abundance of her speech, With the flattery of her lips she forceth him.
With much talk she turned him; with her smooth lips she misled him.
22 He is going after her straightway, As an ox unto the slaughter he cometh, And as a fetter unto the chastisement of a fool,
He went after her suddenly like an ox going to slaughter, like a deer caught in a trap,
23 Till an arrow doth split his liver, As a bird hath hastened unto a snare, And hath not known that it [is] for its life.
until an arrow pierces through its liver. He was like a bird rushing into a snare. He did not know that it would cost his life.
24 And now, ye sons, hearken to me, And give attention to sayings of my mouth.
Now, my sons, listen to me; pay attention to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not thy heart turn unto her ways, Do not wander in her paths,
May your heart not turn aside onto her paths; do not be led astray onto her paths.
26 For many [are] the wounded she caused to fall, And mighty [are] all her slain ones.
She has caused many people to fall down pierced; her dead victims are very many.
