Proverbs 7
1 My son, keep my words, And lay up my commandments with thee.
2 Keep my commandments and live; And my law as the apple of thine eye.
3 Bind them upon thy fingers; Write them upon the tablet of thy heart.
4 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; And call understanding thy kinswoman:
5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman, From the foreigner that flattereth with her words.
6 For at the window of my house I looked forth through my lattice;
7 And I beheld 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,
9 In the twilight, in the evening of the day, In the middle of the night and in the darkness.
10 And, behold, there met him a woman With the attire of a harlot, and wily of heart.
11 She is clamorous and wilful; Her feet abide not in her house:
12 Now she is in the streets, now in the broad places, And lieth in wait at every corner.
13 So she caught him, and kissed him, And with an impudent face she said unto him:
14 Sacrifices of peace-offerings are with me; This day have I paid my vows.
15 Therefore came I forth to meet thee, Diligently to seek 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.
17 I have perfumed 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.
19 For the man is not at home; He is gone a long journey:
20 He hath taken a bag of money with him; He will come home at the full moon.
21 With her much fair speech she causeth him to yield; With the flattering of her lips she forceth him along.
22 He goeth after her straightway, As an ox goeth to the slaughter, Or as one in fetters to the correction 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 his life.
24 Now therefore, my sons, hearken unto me, And attend to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not thy heart decline to her ways; Go not astray in her paths.
26 For she hath cast down many wounded: Yea, all her slain are a mighty host.
27 Her house is the way to Sheol, Going down to the chambers of death.
Proverbs 7
Admonition to Avoid the Wiles of the Adulteress
1 My child,t keep my words
and treasure up my commands in your own keeping.t
2 Keep my commandss so that you may live,t
and obeyt my instruction as your most prized possession.t
3 Bind them on your forearm;t
write them on the tablet of your heart.s
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”s
and call understanding a close relative,
5 so that they may keep yout from the adulteroust woman,
from the loose womant who flatters yout with her words.t
6 For at the window of my house
through my window lattice I looked out
7 and I saw among the naive –
I discerned among the youthst –
a young mant who lacked wisdom.ts
8 He was passing by the street near her corner,
making his wayt along the road to her houset
9 in the twilight, the evening,t
in the dark of the night.t
10 Suddenlyt a woman came out to meet him!
She was dressed like a prostitutet and with secret intent.t
11 (She is loud and rebellious,
shet does not remaint at home –
12 at one time outside, at anothert in the wide plazas,
and by every corner she lies in wait.)
13 So she grabbed him and kissed him,
and with a bold expressiont she said to him,
14 “I havet fresh meat at home;t
today I have fulfilled my vows!
15 That is why I came out to meet you,
to look for you,t and I found you!
16 I have spread my bed with elegant coverings,t
with richly colored fabrict from Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed
with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s drink deeplyt of lovemakingt until morning,
let’s delight ourselvest with sexual intercourse.t
19 For my husbandt is not at home;t
he has gone on a journey of some distance.
20 He has taken a bag of money with him;t
he will not return untilt the end of the month.”t
21 She persuaded himt with persuasive words;s
with her smooth talkt she compelled him.t
22 Suddenly he wentt after her
like an ox that goes to the slaughter,
like a stag prancing into a trapper’s snaret
23 till an arrow pierces his livers –
like a bird hurrying into a trap,
and he does not know that it will cost him his life.t
24 So now, sons,t listen to me,
and pay attention to the words I speak.t
25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways –
do not wander into her pathways;
26 for she has brought downt many fatally wounded,
and all those she has slain are many.t
27 Her house is the way to the grave,ts
going downt to the chamberst of death.