1My son, keep my words
and treasure my commandments within you.
1My son, keep my words and treasure my commands within you.
2Keep my commandments and live;
guard my teachings as the applea of your eye.
2Guard my commands and live, and my instruction like the pupil of your eyes.
3Tie them to your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
3Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
4Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call understanding your kinsman,
4Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call out to understanding, “Kinsman,”
5that they may keep you from the adulteress,
from the stranger with seductive words.
5to guard you from the strange woman, from a foreign woman who has made smooth her words.
6For at the window of my house
I looked through the lattice.
6For at the window of my house I have looked through my lattice,
7I saw among the simple,
I noticed among the youths,
a young man lacking judgment,
7and I have looked among the simple, and discerned among the sons a young man lacking heart,
8crossing the street near her corner,
strolling down the road to her house,
8passing by on the street near her corner, and the way of her house he steps in—
9at twilight, as the day was fading
into the dark of the night.
9in the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the pupil of night and darkness.
10Then a woman came out to meet him,
with the attire of a harlot and cunning of heart.
10And behold, a woman to meet him, in the garment of a prostitute and guarded of heart.
11She is loud and defiant;
her feet do not remain at home.
11She is roaring and rebellious; in her house her feet do not dwell.
12Now in the street, now in the squares,
she lurks at every corner.
12Once in the street, once in the open squares, and beside every corner she lies in wait.
13She seizes him and kisses him;
she brazenly says to him:
13And she laid hold on him and kissed him; she has hardened her face and said to him:
14“I have made my peace offerings;
today I have paid my vows.
14“Sacrifices of peace offerings are by me; this day I have paid my vows;
15So I came out to meet you;
I sought you, and I have found you.
15upon thus I have come out to meet you, to earnestly seek your face, and I have found you!
16I have decked my bed with coverings,
with colored linen from Egypt.
16With coverings I have spread my couch, with colored linen of Egypt.
17I have perfumed my bed with myrrh,
with aloes, and with cinnamon.
17I have sprinkled my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18Come, let us take our fill of love till morning.
Let us delight in loving caresses!
18Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning; let us delight ourselves with loves!
19For my husband is not at home;
he has gone on a long journey.
19For the husband is not in his house; he has gone far away on a road.
20He took with him a bag of money
and will not return till the moon is full.”
20A bag of silver he has taken with him; on the day of the full moon he will enter his house.”
21With her great persuasion she entices him;
with her flattering lips she lures him.
21She turns him aside with the abundance of her speech; with the smoothness of her lips she compels him.
22He follows her on impulse,
like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer bounding into a trap,a
22Going after her suddenly, he goes in like an ox to the slaughter, like a deer bounding into a trap,
23until an arrow pierces his liver,
like a bird darting into a snare—
not knowing it will cost him his life.
23until an arrow splits his liver, like the hurrying of a bird to the snare, and he did not know that it was for his soul!
24Now, my sons, listen to me,
and attend to the words of my mouth.
24And now, sons, listen to me, and attend to the words of my mouth.
25Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways;
do not stray into her paths.
25Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, do not stray into her paths.
26For she has brought many down to death;
her slain are many in number.
26For many wounded ones she has made fall; and numerous are all her slain ones.
27Her house is the road to Sheol,
descending to the chambers of death.
27Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death.