13 The woman Folly is rowdy;(A)
she is gullible and knows nothing.(B)
14 She sits by the doorway of her house,
on a seat at the highest point of the city,
15 calling to those who pass by,
who go straight ahead on their paths:(C)
16 “Whoever is inexperienced, enter here!”
To the one who lacks sense, she says,
17 “Stolen water is sweet,
and bread eaten secretly is tasty!”(D)
18 But he doesn’t know that the departed spirits are there,(E)
that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.(F)

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13 A woman of foolishness is loud,
    simple, and does not know it.[a]
14 She sits at the door of her house,
    upon a throne at the high places of town,
15 in order to call to those who pass by the road,
    those who go straight on their way:
16 “Whoever is simple, may he turn here!”
    As for he who lacks sense,[b] she says to him,
17 “Stolen waters are sweet,
    and bread of secrecy is pleasant.”
18 But he does not know that the dead[c] are there,
    in the depths of Sheol[d] are her guests.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 9:13 Literally “what”
  2. Proverbs 9:16 Literally “heart”
  3. Proverbs 9:18 Or “Rephaim”
  4. Proverbs 9:18 A term for the place where the dead reside, i.e., the Underworld