Proverbs 5-9 (New American Standard Bible)

Proverbs 5

Pitfalls of Immorality

    ¹My son, ^(A)give attention to my wisdom,
         ^(B)Incline your ear to my understanding;
    ²That you may ^(C)observe discretion
         And your ^(D)lips may reserve knowledge.
    ³For the lips of an ^(E)adulteress ^(F)drip honey
         And ^(G)smoother than oil is her speech;
    ⁴But in the end she is ^(H)bitter as wormwood,
         ^(I)Sharp as a two-edged sword.
    ⁵Her feet ^(J)go down to death,
         Her steps take hold of Sheol.
    ⁶She does not ponder the ^(K)path of life;
         Her ways are ^(L)unstable, she ^(M)does not know it.
    ^7(N)Now then, my sons, listen to me
         And ^(O)do not depart from the words of my mouth.
    ^8(P)Keep your way far from her
         And do not go near the ^(Q)door of her house,
    ⁹Or you will give your vigor to others
         And your years to the cruel one;
    ¹⁰And strangers will be filled with your strength
         And your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien;
    ¹¹And you groan at your final end,
         When your flesh and your body are consumed;
    ¹²And you say, "How I have ^(R)hated instruction!
         And my heart ^(S)spurned reproof!
    ¹³"I have not listened to the voice of my ^(T)teachers,
         Nor inclined my ear to my instructors!
    ¹⁴"I was almost in utter ruin
         In the midst of the assembly and congregation."
    ¹⁵Drink water from your own cistern
         And fresh water from your own well.
    ¹⁶Should your ^(U)springs be dispersed abroad,
         Streams of water in the streets?
    ¹⁷Let them be yours alone
         And not for strangers with you.
    ¹⁸Let your ^(V)fountain be blessed,
         And ^(W)rejoice in the ^(X)wife of your youth.
    ¹⁹As a loving ^(Y)hind and a graceful doe,
         Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
         Be exhilarated always with her love.
    ²⁰For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an ^(Z)adulteress
         And embrace the bosom of a ^(AA)foreigner?
    ²¹For the ^(AB)ways of a man are before the eyes of the LORD,
         And He ^(AC)watches all his paths.
    ²²His ^(AD)own iniquities will capture the wicked,
         And he will be held with the cords of his sin.
    ²³He will ^(AE)die for lack of instruction,
         And in the greatness of his folly he will go astray.

Proverbs 6

Parental Counsel

    ¹My son, if you have become ^(AF)surety for your neighbor,
         Have given a pledge for a stranger,
    ²If you have been snared with the words of your mouth,
         Have been caught with the words of your mouth,
    ³Do this then, my son, and deliver yourself;
         Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor,
         Go, humble yourself, and importune your neighbor.
    ⁴Give no ^(AG)sleep to your eyes,
         Nor slumber to your eyelids;
    ⁵Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hunter's hand
         And like a ^(AH)bird from the hand of the fowler.
    ⁶Go to the ^(AI)ant, O ^(AJ)sluggard,
         Observe her ways and be wise,
    ⁷Which, having ^(AK)no chief,
         Officer or ruler,
    ⁸Prepares her food ^(AL)in the summer
         And gathers her provision in the harvest.
    ⁹How long will you lie down, O sluggard?
         When will you arise from your sleep?
    ¹⁰"^(AM)A little sleep, a little slumber,
         A little folding of the hands to rest"--
    ^11(AN)Your poverty will come in like a vagabond
         And your need like an armed man.
    ¹²A ^(AO)worthless person, a wicked man,
         Is the one who walks with a ^(AP)perverse mouth,
    ¹³Who ^(AQ)winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet,
         Who points with his fingers;
    ¹⁴Who with ^(AR)perversity in his heart continually ^(AS)devises evil,
         Who ^(AT)spreads strife.
    ¹⁵Therefore ^(AU)his calamity will come suddenly;
         ^(AV)Instantly he will be broken and there will be ^(AW)no healing.
    ¹⁶There are six things which the LORD hates,
         Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him:
    ^17(AX)Haughty eyes, a ^(AY)lying tongue,
         And hands that ^(AZ)shed innocent blood,
    ¹⁸A heart that devises ^(BA)wicked plans,
         ^(BB)Feet that run rapidly to evil,
    ¹⁹A ^(BC)false witness who utters lies,
         And one who ^(BD)spreads strife among brothers.
    ^20(BE)My son, observe the commandment of your father
         And do not forsake the teaching of your mother;
    ^21(BF)Bind them continually on your heart;
         Tie them around your neck.
    ²²When you ^(BG)walk about, they will guide you;
         When you sleep, they will watch over you;
         And when you awake, they will talk to you.
    ²³For ^(BH)the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light;
         And reproofs for discipline are the way of life
    ²⁴To ^(BI)keep you from the evil woman,
         From the smooth tongue of the adulteress.
    ^25(BJ)Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
         Nor let her capture you with her ^(BK)eyelids.
    ²⁶For ^(BL)on account of a harlot one is reduced to a loaf of bread,
         And an adulteress ^(BM)hunts for the precious life.
    ²⁷Can a man take fire in his bosom
         And his clothes not be burned?
    ²⁸Or can a man walk on hot coals
         And his feet not be scorched?
    ²⁹So is the one who ^(BN)goes in to his neighbor's wife;
         Whoever touches her ^(BO)will not go unpunished.
    ³⁰Men do not despise a thief if he steals
         To ^(BP)satisfy himself when he is hungry;
    ³¹But when he is found, he must ^(BQ)repay sevenfold;
         He must give all the substance of his house.
    ³²The one who commits adultery with a woman is ^(BR)lacking sense;
         He who would ^(BS)destroy himself does it.
    ³³Wounds and disgrace he will find,
         And his reproach will not be blotted out.
    ³⁴For ^(BT)jealousy enrages a man,
         And he will not spare in the ^(BU)day of vengeance.
    ³⁵He will not accept any ransom,
         Nor will he be satisfied though you give many gifts.

Proverbs 7

The Wiles of the Harlot

    ¹My son, ^(BV)keep my words
         And treasure my commandments within you.
    ^2(BW)Keep my commandments and live,
         And my teaching ^(BX)as the apple of your eye.
    ^3(BY)Bind them on your fingers;
         ^(BZ)Write them on the tablet of your heart.
    ⁴Say to wisdom, "You are my sister,"
         And call understanding your intimate friend;
    ⁵That they may keep you from an adulteress,
         From the foreigner who flatters with her words.
    ⁶For ^(CA)at the window of my house
         I looked out ^(CB)through my lattice,
    ⁷And I saw among the ^(CC)naive,
         And discerned among the youths
         A young man ^(CD)lacking sense,
    ⁸Passing through the street near ^(CE)her corner;
         And he takes the way to ^(CF)her house,
    ⁹In the ^(CG)twilight, in the evening,
         In the middle of the night and in the darkness.
    ¹⁰And behold, a woman comes to meet him,
         ^(CH)Dressed as a harlot and cunning of heart.
    ¹¹She is ^(CI)boisterous and rebellious,
         Her ^(CJ)feet do not remain at home;
    ¹²She is now in the streets, now ^(CK)in the squares,
         And ^(CL)lurks by every corner.
    ¹³So she seizes him and kisses him
         And with a ^(CM)brazen face she says to him:
    ¹⁴"I was due to offer ^(CN)peace offerings;
         Today I have ^(CO)paid my vows.
    ¹⁵"Therefore I have come out to meet you,
         To seek your presence earnestly, and I have found you.
    ¹⁶"I have spread my couch with ^(CP)coverings,
         With colored ^(CQ)linens of Egypt.
    ¹⁷"I have sprinkled my bed
         With ^(CR)myrrh, aloes and ^(CS)cinnamon.
    ¹⁸"Come, let us drink our fill of love until morning;
         Let us delight ourselves with caresses.
    ¹⁹"For my husband is not at home,
         He has gone on a long journey;
    ²⁰He has taken a ^(CT)bag of money with him,
         At the full moon he will come home."
    ²¹With her many persuasions she entices him;
         With her ^(CU)flattering lips she seduces him.
    ²²Suddenly he follows her
         As an ox goes to the slaughter,
         Or as one in fetters to the discipline of a fool,
    ²³Until an arrow pierces through his liver;
         As a ^(CV)bird hastens to the snare,
         So he does not know that it will cost him his life.
    ²⁴Now therefore, my sons, ^(CW)listen to me,
         And pay attention to the words of my mouth.
    ²⁵Do not let your heart ^(CX)turn aside to her ways,
         Do not stray into her paths.
    ²⁶For many are the victims she has cast down,
         And ^(CY)numerous are all her slain.
    ²⁷Her ^(CZ)house is the way to Sheol,
         Descending to the chambers of death.

Proverbs 8

The Commendation of Wisdom

    ¹Does not ^(DA)wisdom call,
         And understanding lift up her voice?
    ²On top of ^(DB)the heights beside the way,
         Where the paths meet, she takes her stand;
    ³Beside the ^(DC)gates, at the opening to the city,
         At the entrance of the doors, she cries out:
    ⁴"To you, O men, I call,
         And my voice is to the sons of men.
    ⁵"O ^(DD)naive ones, understand prudence;
         And, O ^(DE)fools, understand wisdom.
    ⁶"Listen, for I will speak ^(DF)noble things;
         And the opening of my lips will reveal ^(DG)right things.
    ⁷"For my ^(DH)mouth will utter truth;
         And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
    ⁸"All the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness;
         There is nothing ^(DI)crooked or perverted in them.
    ⁹"They are all ^(DJ)straightforward to him who understands,
         And right to those who ^(DK)find knowledge.
    ¹⁰"Take my ^(DL)instruction and not silver,
         And knowledge rather than choicest gold.
    ¹¹"For wisdom is ^(DM)better than jewels;
         And ^(DN)all desirable things cannot compare with her.
    ¹²"I, wisdom, ^(DO)dwell with prudence,
         And I find ^(DP)knowledge and discretion.
    ¹³"The ^(DQ)fear of the LORD is to hate evil;
         ^(DR)Pride and arrogance and ^(DS)the evil way
         And the ^(DT)perverted mouth, I hate.
    ¹⁴"^(DU)Counsel is mine and ^(DV)sound wisdom;
         I am understanding, ^(DW)power is mine.
    ¹⁵"By me ^(DX)kings reign,
         And rulers decree justice.
    ¹⁶"By me princes rule, and nobles,
         All who judge rightly.
    ¹⁷"I ^(DY)love those who love me;
         And ^(DZ)those who diligently seek me will find me.
    ¹⁸"^(EA)Riches and honor are with me,
         Enduring ^(EB)wealth and righteousness.
    ¹⁹"My fruit is ^(EC)better than gold, even pure gold,
         And my yield better than ^(ED)choicest silver.
    ²⁰"I walk in the way of righteousness,
         In the midst of the paths of justice,
    ²¹To endow those who love me with wealth,
         That I may ^(EE)fill their treasuries.
    ²²"The LORD possessed me ^(EF)at the beginning of His way,
         Before His works of old.
    ²³"From everlasting I was ^(EG)established,
         From the beginning, ^(EH)from the earliest times of the earth.
    ²⁴"When there were no ^(EI)depths I was brought forth,
         When there were no springs abounding with water.
    ²⁵"^(EJ)Before the mountains were settled,
         Before the hills I was brought forth;
    ²⁶While He had not yet made the earth and the fields,
         Nor the first dust of the world.
    ²⁷"When He ^(EK)established the heavens, I was there,
         When ^(EL)He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,
    ²⁸When He made firm the skies above,
         When the springs of the deep became fixed,
    ²⁹When ^(EM)He set for the sea its boundary
         So that the water would not transgress His command,
         When He marked out ^(EN)the foundations of the earth;
    ³⁰Then ^(EO)I was beside Him, as a master workman;
         And I was daily His delight,
         Rejoicing always before Him,
    ³¹Rejoicing in the world, His earth,
         And having ^(EP)my delight in the sons of men.
    ³²"Now therefore, O sons, ^(EQ)listen to me,
         For ^(ER)blessed are they who keep my ways.
    ³³"^(ES)Heed instruction and be wise,
         And do not neglect it.
    ³⁴"^(ET)Blessed is the man who listens to me,
         Watching daily at my gates,
         Waiting at my doorposts.
    ³⁵"For ^(EU)he who finds me finds life
         And ^(EV)obtains favor from the LORD.
    ³⁶"But he who sins against me ^(EW)injures himself;
         All those who ^(EX)hate me ^(EY)love death."

Proverbs 9

Wisdom's Invitation

    ¹Wisdom has ^(EZ)built her house,
         She has hewn out her seven pillars;
    ²She has ^(FA)prepared her food, she has ^(FB)mixed her wine;
         She has also ^(FC)set her table;
    ³She has ^(FD)sent out her maidens, she ^(FE)calls
         From the ^(FF)tops of the heights of the city:
    ⁴"^(FG)Whoever is naive, let him turn in here!"
         To him who ^(FH)lacks understanding she says,
    ⁵"Come, ^(FI)eat of my food
         And drink of the wine I have mixed.
    ⁶"Forsake your folly and ^(FJ)live,
         And ^(FK)proceed in the way of understanding."
    ⁷He who ^(FL)corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself,
         And he who reproves a wicked man gets insults for himself.
    ^8(FM)Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you,
         ^(FN)Reprove a wise man and he will love you.
    ⁹Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser,
         Teach a righteous man and he will ^(FO)increase his learning.
    ¹⁰The ^(FP)fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
         And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
    ¹¹For ^(FQ)by me your days will be multiplied,
         And years of life will be added to you.
    ¹²If you are wise, you are wise ^(FR)for yourself,
         And if you ^(FS)scoff, you alone will bear it.
    ¹³The woman of folly is ^(FT)boisterous,
         She is naive and ^(FU)knows nothing.
    ¹⁴She sits at the doorway of her house,
         On a seat by ^(FV)the high places of the city,
    ¹⁵Calling to those who pass by,
         Who are making their paths straight:
    ¹⁶"^(FW)Whoever is naive, let him turn in here,"
         And to him who lacks understanding she says,
    ¹⁷"Stolen water is sweet;
         And ^(FX)bread eaten in secret is pleasant."
    ¹⁸But he does not know that the dead are there,
         That her guests are in the ^(FY)depths of Sheol.