Proverbs 7
1 My son, keep my words. Lay up my commandments within you.
My son, guard my words and conceal my precepts within you.
2 Keep my commandments and live! Guard my teaching as the apple of your eye.
Son, preserve my commandments, and you shall live. And keep my law as the pupil of your eye.
3 Bind them on your fingers. Write them on the tablet of your heart.
Bind it with your fingers; write it on the tablets of your heart.
4 Tell wisdom, “You are my sister.” Call understanding your relative,
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call prudence your friend.
5 that they may keep you from the strange woman, from the foreigner who flatters with her words.
So may she guard you from the woman who is an outsider, and from the stranger who sweetens her words.
6 For at the window of my house, I looked out through my lattice.
For I gaze from the window of my house, through the lattice,
7 I saw among the simple ones. I discerned among the youths a young man void of understanding,
and I see little ones. I consider a frenzied youth,
8 passing through the street near her corner, he went the way to her house,
who crosses the street at the corner and close to the way of that house.
9 in the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the middle of the night and in the darkness.
He steps into shadows, as day becomes evening, into the darkness and gloom of the night.
10 Behold, there a woman met him with the attire of a prostitute, and with crafty intent.
And behold, a woman meets him, dressed like a harlot, prepared to captivate souls: chattering and rambling,
11 She is loud and defiant. Her feet do not stay in her house.
unwilling to bear silence, unable to keep her feet at home,
12 Now she is in the streets, now in the squares, and lurking at every corner.
now outside, now in the streets, now lying in ambush near the corners.
13 So she caught him, and kissed him. With an impudent face she said to him:
And overtaking the youth, she kisses him, and with a provocative face, she flatters him, saying:
14 “Sacrifices of peace offerings are with me. Today I have paid my vows.
“I vowed sacrifices for well-being. Today I have repaid my vows.
15 Therefore I came out to meet you, to diligently seek your face, and I have found you.
Because of this, I have gone out to meet you, desiring to see you, and I have found you.
16 I have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry, with striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt.
I have woven my bed with cords. I have strewn it with embroidered tapestries from Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
I have sprinkled my bed with myrrh, aloe, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s take our fill of loving until the morning. Let’s solace ourselves with loving.
Come, let us be inebriated in abundance, and let us delight in the embraces of desire, until the day begins to dawn.
19 For my husband is not at home. He has gone on a long journey.
For my husband is not in his house. He has gone away on a very long journey.
20 He has taken a bag of money with him. He will come home at the full moon.”
He took with him a bag of money. He will return to his house on the day of the full moon.”
21 With persuasive words, she led him astray. With the flattering of her lips, she seduced him.
She enmeshed him with many words, and she drew him forward with the flattery of her lips.
22 He followed her immediately, as an ox goes to the slaughter, as a fool stepping into a noose.
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,
23 Until an arrow strikes through his liver, as a bird hurries to the snare, and does not know that it will cost his life.
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.
24 Now therefore, sons, listen to me. Pay attention to the words of my mouth.
Therefore, my son, hear me now, and attend to the words of my mouth.
25 Do not let your heart turn to her ways. Do not go astray in her paths,
Do not let your mind be pulled into her ways. And do not be deceived by her paths.
26 for she has thrown down many wounded. Yes, all her slain are a mighty army.
For she has tossed aside many wounded, and some of those who were very strong have been slain by her.
