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| 1My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine
ear to my understanding: 2That thou mayest regard discretion, and that
thy lips may keep knowledge. 3For the lips of a strange woman drop as an
honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: 4But her end is bitter
as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword. 5Her feet go down to death; her
steps take hold on hell. 6Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life,
her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them. 7Hear me now therefore,
O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth. 8Remove thy way
far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house: 9Lest thou give
thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel: 10Lest strangers
be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;
11And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,
12And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;
13And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to
them that instructed me! 14I was almost in all evil in the midst of the
congregation and assembly.
15Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well. 16Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets. 17Let them be only thine own, and not strangers’ with thee. 18Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. 19Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love. 20And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger? 21For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings. 22His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins. 23He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray. |
My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
listen carefully to my wise counsel. 2 Then you will learn to be discreet
and will store up knowledge.
3 The lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil. 4 But the result is as bitter as poison, sharp as a double-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave. 6 For she does not care about the path to life. She staggers down a crooked trail and doesn’t even realize where it leads. 7 So now, my sons, listen to me. Never stray from what I am about to say: 8 Run from her! Don’t go near the door of her house! 9 If you do, you will lose your honor and hand over to merciless people everything you have achieved in life. 10 Strangers will obtain your wealth, and someone else will enjoy the fruit of your labor. 11 Afterward you will groan in anguish when disease consumes your body, 12 and you will say, “How I hated discipline! If only I had not demanded my own way! 13 Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers? Why didn’t I pay attention to those who gave me instruction? 14 I have come to the brink of utter ruin, and now I must face public disgrace.” 15 Drink water from your own well—share your love only with your wife. 16 Why spill the water of your springs in public, having sex with just anyone? 17 You should reserve it for yourselves. Don’t share it with strangers. 18 Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth. 19 She is a loving doe, a graceful deer. Let her breasts satisfy you always. May you always be captivated by her love. 20 Why be captivated, my son, with an immoral woman, or embrace the breasts of an adulterous woman? 21 For the Lord sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes. 22 An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him. 23 He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his incredible folly. |