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Proverbs 7-8
New King James Version
Proverbs 7-8
New King James Version
The Wiles of a Harlot
7 My son, keep my words,
And (A)treasure my commands within you.
2 (B)Keep my commands and live,
(C)And my law as the apple of your eye.
3 (D)Bind them on your fingers;
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your nearest kin,
5 (E)That they may keep you from the immoral woman,
From the seductress who flatters with her words.
The Crafty Harlot
6 For at the window of my house
I looked through my lattice,
7 And saw among the simple,
I perceived among the [a]youths,
A young man (F)devoid[b] of understanding,
8 Passing along the street near her corner;
And he took the path to her house
9 (G)In the twilight, in the evening,
In the black and dark night.
10 And there a woman met him,
With the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart.
11 (H)She was loud and rebellious,
(I)Her feet would not stay at home.
12 At times she was outside, at times in the open square,
Lurking at every corner.
13 So she caught him and kissed him;
With an [c]impudent face she said to him:
14 “I have peace offerings with me;
Today I have paid my vows.
15 So I came out to meet you,
Diligently to seek your face,
And I have found you.
16 I have spread my bed with tapestry,
Colored coverings of (J)Egyptian linen.
17 I have perfumed my bed
With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love until morning;
Let us delight ourselves with love.
19 For [d]my husband is not at home;
He has gone on a long journey;
20 He has taken a bag of money [e]with him,
And will come home [f]on the appointed day.”
21 [g]With (K)her enticing speech she caused him to yield,
(L)With her flattering lips she [h]seduced him.
22 Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or [i]as a fool to the correction of the [j]stocks,
23 Till an arrow struck his liver.
(M)As a bird hastens to the snare,
He did not know it [k]would cost his life.
24 Now therefore, listen to me, my children;
Pay attention to the words of my mouth:
25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths;
26 For she has cast down many wounded,
And (N)all who were slain by her were strong men.
27 (O)Her house is the way to [l]hell,
Descending to the chambers of death.
The Excellence of Wisdom
8 Does not (P)wisdom cry out,
And understanding lift up her voice?
2 She takes her stand on the top of the [m]high hill,
Beside the way, where the paths meet.
3 She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city,
At the entrance of the doors:
4 “To you, O men, I call,
And my voice is to the sons of men.
5 O you [n]simple ones, understand prudence,
And you fools, be of an understanding heart.
6 Listen, for I will speak of (Q)excellent things,
And from the opening of my lips will come right things;
7 For my mouth will speak truth;
Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8 All the words of my mouth are with righteousness;
Nothing crooked or perverse is in them.
9 They are all plain to him who understands,
And right to those who find knowledge.
10 Receive my instruction, and not silver,
And knowledge rather than choice gold;
11 (R)For wisdom is better than rubies,
And all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.
12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
And find out knowledge and discretion.
13 (S)The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
(T)Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And (U)the perverse mouth I hate.
14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom;
I am understanding, (V)I have strength.
15 (W)By me kings reign,
And rulers decree justice.
16 By me princes rule, and nobles,
All the judges of [o]the earth.
17 (X)I love those who love me,
And (Y)those who seek me diligently will find me.
18 (Z)Riches and honor are with me,
Enduring riches and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold,
And my revenue than choice silver.
20 I [p]traverse the way of righteousness,
In the midst of the paths of justice,
21 That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth,
That I may fill their treasuries.
22 “The(AA) Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way,
Before His works of old.
23 (AB)I have been established from everlasting,
From the beginning, before there was ever an earth.
24 When there were no depths I was brought forth,
When there were no fountains abounding with water.
25 (AC)Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills, I was brought forth;
26 While as yet He had not made the earth or the [q]fields,
Or the [r]primal dust of the world.
27 When He prepared the heavens, I was there,
When He drew a circle on the face of the deep,
28 When He established the clouds above,
When He strengthened the fountains of the deep,
29 (AD)When He assigned to the sea its limit,
So that the waters would not transgress His command,
When (AE)He marked out the foundations of the earth,
30 (AF)Then I was beside Him as [s]a master craftsman;
(AG)And I was daily His delight,
Rejoicing always before Him,
31 Rejoicing in His inhabited world,
And (AH)my delight was with the sons of men.
32 “Now therefore, listen to me, my children,
For (AI)blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 Hear instruction and be wise,
And do not disdain it.
34 (AJ)Blessed is the man who listens to me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at the posts of my doors.
35 For whoever finds me finds life,
And (AK)obtains favor from the Lord;
36 But he who sins against me (AL)wrongs his own soul;
All those who hate me love death.”
Footnotes
- Proverbs 7:7 Lit. sons
- Proverbs 7:7 lacking
- Proverbs 7:13 shameless
- Proverbs 7:19 Lit. the man
- Proverbs 7:20 Lit. in his hand
- Proverbs 7:20 at the full moon
- Proverbs 7:21 By the greatness of her words
- Proverbs 7:21 compelled
- Proverbs 7:22 LXX, Syr., Tg. as a dog to bonds; Vg. as a lamb . . . to bonds
- Proverbs 7:22 shackles
- Proverbs 7:23 Lit. is for
- Proverbs 7:27 Or Sheol
- Proverbs 8:2 Lit. heights
- Proverbs 8:5 naive
- Proverbs 8:16 MT, Syr., Tg., Vg. righteousness; LXX, Bg., some mss. and editions earth
- Proverbs 8:20 walk about on
- Proverbs 8:26 outer places
- Proverbs 8:26 Lit. beginning of the dust
- Proverbs 8:30 A Jewish tradition one brought up
Proverbs 7-8
New International Version
Proverbs 7-8
New International Version
Warning Against the Adulterous Woman
7 My son,(A) keep my words
and store up my commands within you.
2 Keep my commands and you will live;(B)
guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
3 Bind them on your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.(C)
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and to insight, “You are my relative.”
5 They will keep you from the adulterous woman,
from the wayward woman with her seductive words.(D)
6 At the window of my house
I looked down through the lattice.
7 I saw among the simple,
I noticed among the young men,
a youth who had no sense.(E)
8 He was going down the street near her corner,
walking along in the direction of her house
9 at twilight,(F) as the day was fading,
as the dark of night set in.
10 Then out came a woman to meet him,
dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.
11 (She is unruly(G) and defiant,
her feet never stay at home;
12 now in the street, now in the squares,
at every corner she lurks.)(H)
13 She took hold of him(I) and kissed him
and with a brazen face she said:(J)
14 “Today I fulfilled my vows,
and I have food from my fellowship offering(K) at home.
15 So I came out to meet you;
I looked for you and have found you!
16 I have covered my bed
with colored linens from Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed(L)
with myrrh,(M) aloes and cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning;
let’s enjoy ourselves with love!(N)
19 My husband is not at home;
he has gone on a long journey.
20 He took his purse filled with money
and will not be home till full moon.”
21 With persuasive words she led him astray;
she seduced him with her smooth talk.(O)
22 All at once he followed her
like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer[a] stepping into a noose[b](P)
23 till an arrow pierces(Q) his liver,
like a bird darting into a snare,
little knowing it will cost him his life.(R)
24 Now then, my sons, listen(S) to me;
pay attention to what I say.
25 Do not let your heart turn to her ways
or stray into her paths.(T)
26 Many are the victims she has brought down;
her slain are a mighty throng.
27 Her house is a highway to the grave,
leading down to the chambers of death.(U)
Wisdom’s Call
8 Does not wisdom call out?(V)
Does not understanding raise her voice?
2 At the highest point along the way,
where the paths meet, she takes her stand;
3 beside the gate leading into the city,
at the entrance, she cries aloud:(W)
4 “To you, O people, I call out;(X)
I raise my voice to all mankind.
5 You who are simple,(Y) gain prudence;(Z)
you who are foolish, set your hearts on it.[c]
6 Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say;
I open my lips to speak what is right.
7 My mouth speaks what is true,(AA)
for my lips detest wickedness.
8 All the words of my mouth are just;
none of them is crooked or perverse.
9 To the discerning all of them are right;
they are upright to those who have found knowledge.
10 Choose my instruction instead of silver,
knowledge rather than choice gold,(AB)
11 for wisdom is more precious(AC) than rubies,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.(AD)
12 “I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;
I possess knowledge and discretion.(AE)
13 To fear the Lord(AF) is to hate evil;(AG)
I hate(AH) pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and perverse speech.
14 Counsel and sound judgment are mine;
I have insight, I have power.(AI)
15 By me kings reign
and rulers(AJ) issue decrees that are just;
16 by me princes govern,(AK)
and nobles—all who rule on earth.[d]
17 I love those who love me,(AL)
and those who seek me find me.(AM)
18 With me are riches and honor,(AN)
enduring wealth and prosperity.(AO)
19 My fruit is better than fine gold;(AP)
what I yield surpasses choice silver.(AQ)
20 I walk in the way of righteousness,(AR)
along the paths of justice,
21 bestowing a rich inheritance on those who love me
and making their treasuries full.(AS)
22 “The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works,[e][f]
before his deeds of old;
23 I was formed long ages ago,
at the very beginning, when the world came to be.
24 When there were no watery depths, I was given birth,
when there were no springs overflowing with water;(AT)
25 before the mountains were settled in place,(AU)
before the hills, I was given birth,(AV)
26 before he made the world or its fields
or any of the dust of the earth.(AW)
27 I was there when he set the heavens in place,(AX)
when he marked out the horizon(AY) on the face of the deep,
28 when he established the clouds above(AZ)
and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,(BA)
29 when he gave the sea its boundary(BB)
so the waters would not overstep his command,(BC)
and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.(BD)
30 Then I was constantly[g] at his side.(BE)
I was filled with delight day after day,
rejoicing always in his presence,
31 rejoicing in his whole world
and delighting in mankind.(BF)
32 “Now then, my children, listen(BG) to me;
blessed are(BH) those who keep my ways.(BI)
33 Listen to my instruction and be wise;
do not disregard it.
34 Blessed are those who listen(BJ) to me,
watching daily at my doors,
waiting at my doorway.
35 For those who find me(BK) find life(BL)
and receive favor from the Lord.(BM)
36 But those who fail to find me harm themselves;(BN)
all who hate me love death.”(BO)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 7:22 Syriac (see also Septuagint); Hebrew fool
- Proverbs 7:22 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
- Proverbs 8:5 Septuagint; Hebrew foolish, instruct your minds
- Proverbs 8:16 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; other Hebrew manuscripts all righteous rulers
- Proverbs 8:22 Or way; or dominion
- Proverbs 8:22 Or The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work; or The Lord brought me forth at the beginning of his work
- Proverbs 8:30 Or was the artisan; or was a little child
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.