Proverbs 7
1 My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
My son, keep my words, And treasure up my commandments with thee!
2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my teaching, as the apple of thine eye.
Keep my commandments and live! Yea, my teaching, as the apple of thine eye!
3 Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the tablet of thy heart.
Bind them upon thy fingers, Write them upon the tablet of thy heart!
4 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister, and call intelligence [thy] kinswoman:
Say unto wisdom, “Thou art my sister!” And call understanding thy near acquaintance;
5 that they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger who flattereth with her words.
That they may keep thee from the wife of another, From the stranger, that useth smooth words.
6 For at the window of my house, I looked forth through my lattice,
For through the window of my house, Through the lattice I was looking forth,
7 and I beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the sons, a young man void of understanding,
And I saw among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, A young man void of understanding.
8 passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,
He was passing through the street near her corner, And was going the way to her house,
9 in the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the blackness of night and the darkness.
At twilight, in the evening, At midnight, yea, in the thick darkness.
10 And behold, there met him a woman in the attire of a harlot, and subtle of heart.
And, behold, a woman met him, In the attire of a harlot, and subtle of heart, —
11 She is clamorous and unmanageable; her feet abide not in her house:
One noisy and unruly, Whose feet abide not in her house;
12 now without, now in the broadways, — and she lieth in wait at every corner.
Who is now in the streets, now in the broad places, And lurketh near every corner.
13 And she caught him and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him,
She caught hold of him and kissed him, And with a shameless face said to him,
14 I have peace-offerings with me; this day have I paid my vows:
“Thank-offerings have been upon me, And this day have I performed my vows;
15 therefore came I forth to meet thee, to seek earnestly thy face, and I have found thee.
Therefore came I forth to meet thee, —Diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee!
16 I have decked my bed with tapestry coverlets of variegated linen from Egypt;
I have spread my bed with coverlets, With tapestry of the thread of Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my couch with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
I have sprinkled my bed With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us revel in love until the morning, let us delight ourselves with loves.
Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning; Let us solace ourselves with caresses.
19 For the husband is not at home, he is gone a long journey;
For the good-man is not at home; He is gone a long journey;
20 he hath taken the money-bag with him, he will come home on the day of the full moon.
He hath taken a purse of money with him; At the day of the full moon he will return.”
21 With her much enticement she beguiled him; with the smoothness of her lips she constrained him.
By her much fair speech she seduced him; By the smoothness of her lips she drew him away.
22 He went after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, and as stocks [serve] for the correction of the fool;
He goeth after her straightway, As an ox goeth to the slaughter, Or as one in fetters to the chastisement of the fool,
23 till an arrow strike through his liver: as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for its life.
Till an arrow strike through his liver; —As a bird hasteneth into the snare, And knoweth not that it is laid for its life.
24 And now, ye sons, hearken unto me, and attend to the words of my mouth.
Now, therefore, ye children, hearken to me, And attend to the words of my mouth!
25 Let not thy heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths:
Let not thy heart turn aside to her ways; Go not astray in her paths!
26 for she hath cast down many wounded, and all slain by her were strong.
For many are the wounded which she hath cast down; Yea, countless is the number of those slain by her.
