Proverbs 7
1 My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
My son, keep my words and store up my commands within yourself.
2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.
Keep my commands and live and keep my instruction as the apple of your eye.
3 Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.
Tie them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say unto wisdom, Thou [art] my sister; and call understanding [thy] kinswoman:
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call understanding your kinsman,
5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger [which] flattereth with her words.
in order to keep yourself from the adulterous woman, from the immoral woman with her smooth words.
6 For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,
At the window of my house I was looking out through the lattice.
7 And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,
I looked at the naive people, and I noticed among the young men a youth who had no sense.
8 Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,
That young man passed down the street near her corner, and he went toward her house.
9 In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:
It was twilight, in the evening of the day, at the time of night and darkness.
10 And, behold, there met him a woman [with] the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.
There a woman met him, dressed like a prostitute, with a false heart.
11 (She [is] loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:
She was loud and wayward; her feet did not stay at home.
12 Now [is she] without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)
Now in the streets, then in the market place, and at every corner she waited in ambush.
13 So she caught him, and kissed him, [and] with an impudent face said unto him,
So she grabbed him and kissed him, with a strong face she said to him,
14 [I have] peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.
“I made my peace offering today, I paid my vows,
15 Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.
so came I out to meet you, to eagerly seek your face, and I have found you.
16 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved [works], with fine linen of Egypt.
I have spread coverings on my bed, colored linens from Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
I have sprinkled my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.
Come, let us drink our fill of love until morning; let us take great pleasure in acts of love.
19 For the goodman [is] not at home, he is gone a long journey:
For my husband is not at his house; he has gone on a long journey.
20 He hath taken a bag of money with him, [and] will come home at the day appointed.
He took a bag of money with him; he will return on the day of the full moon.”
21 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.
With much talk she turned him; with her smooth lips she misled him.
22 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;
He went after her suddenly like an ox going to slaughter, like a deer caught in a trap,
23 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it [is] for his 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 Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.
Now, my sons, listen to me; pay attention to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.
May your heart not turn aside onto her paths; do not be led astray onto her paths.
26 For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong [men] have been slain by her.
She has caused many people to fall down pierced; her dead victims are very many.
