The Lures of the Prostitute

My son, (A)keep my words
And treasure my commandments within you.
(B)Keep my commandments and live,
And my [a]teaching (C)as the [b]apple of your eye.
(D)Bind them on your fingers;
(E)Write them on the tablet of your heart.
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your intimate friend,
So that they may keep you from an [c]adulteress,
From the foreigner who flatters with her words.

For (F)at the window of my house
I looked out (G)through my lattice,
And I saw among the (H)naive,
And discerned among the [d]youths
A young man (I)lacking [e]sense,
Passing through the street near (J)her corner;
And he walks along the way to (K)her house,
In the (L)twilight, in the [f]evening,
In the [g]middle of the night and the darkness.
10 And behold, a woman comes to meet him,
(M)Dressed as a prostitute and cunning of heart.
11 She is (N)boisterous and rebellious,
Her (O)feet do not remain at home;
12 She is now in the streets, now (P)in the public squares,
And (Q)lurks by every corner.
13 So she seizes him and kisses him,
[h]And with a (R)brazen face she says to him:
14 [i]I was due to offer (S)peace offerings;
Today I have (T)paid my vows.
15 Therefore I have come out to meet you,
To seek your presence diligently, and I have found you.
16 I have spread my couch with (U)coverings,
With colored (V)linens of Egypt.
17 I have sprinkled my bed
With (W)myrrh, aloes, and (X)cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s drink our fill of love until morning;
Let’s delight ourselves with caresses.
19 For [j]my husband is not at home;
He has gone on a long journey.
20 He has taken a (Y)bag of money [k]with him.
At the full moon he will come home.”
21 With her many persuasions she entices him;
With her [l](Z)flattering lips she seduces him.
22 Suddenly he follows her
As an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or as [m]one walks in ankle bracelets to the discipline of a fool,
23 Until an arrow pierces through his liver;
As a (AA)bird hurries to the snare,
So he does not know that it will cost him his life.

24 Now therefore, my sons, (AB)listen to me,
And pay attention to the words of my mouth.
25 Do not let your heart (AC)turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths.
26 For many are the [n]victims she has brought to ruin,
And (AD)numerous are all those slaughtered by her.
27 Her (AE)house is the way to Sheol,
Descending to the chambers of death.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 7:2 Or law
  2. Proverbs 7:2 Lit pupil
  3. Proverbs 7:5 Lit strange woman
  4. Proverbs 7:7 Lit sons
  5. Proverbs 7:7 Lit heart
  6. Proverbs 7:9 Lit evening of the day
  7. Proverbs 7:9 Lit pupil (of the eye)
  8. Proverbs 7:13 Lit She makes bold her face and says
  9. Proverbs 7:14 Lit Sacrifices of peace offerings are with me
  10. Proverbs 7:19 Lit the man
  11. Proverbs 7:20 Lit in his hand
  12. Proverbs 7:21 Lit smooth
  13. Proverbs 7:22 Or as a stag goes into a trap; as in some ancient versions, Heb is uncertain
  14. Proverbs 7:26 Lit wounded

The False Attractions of Adultery

My child, keep my words
    and store up my commandments with you;(A)
keep my commandments and live;
    keep my teachings as the apple[a] of your eye;(B)
bind them on your fingers;
    write them on the tablet of your heart.(C)
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
    and call insight your intimate friend,
that they may keep you from the loose woman,[b]
    from the adulteress[c] with her smooth words.(D)

For at the window of my house
    I looked out through my lattice,
and I saw among the simple ones,
    I observed among the youths,
    a young man without sense,(E)
passing along the street near her corner,
    taking the road to her house(F)
in the twilight, in the evening,
    at the time of night and darkness.(G)

10 Then a woman comes toward him
    decked out like a prostitute, with hidden intent.
11 She is loud and wayward;
    her feet do not stay at home;(H)
12 now in the street, now in the squares,
    and at every corner she lies in wait.(I)
13 She seizes him and kisses him,
    and with impudent face she says to him:
14 “I had to offer sacrifices,
    and today I have paid my vows;(J)
15 so now I have come out to meet you,
    to seek you eagerly, and I have found you!
16 I have decked my couch with coverings,
    colored spreads of Egyptian linen;(K)
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 my husband is not at home;
    he has gone on a long journey.
20 He took a bag of money with him;
    he will not come home until full moon.”

21 With much seductive speech she persuades him;
    with her smooth talk she compels him.(L)
22 Right away he follows her
    and goes like an ox to the slaughter
or bounds like a stag toward the trap[d]
23     until an arrow pierces its entrails.
He is like a bird rushing into a snare,
    not knowing that it will cost him his life.(M)

24 And now, my children, listen to me,
    and be attentive to the words of my mouth.(N)
25 Do not let your hearts turn aside to her ways;
    do not stray into her paths.(O)
26 For many are those she has laid low,
    and numerous are her victims.(P)
27 Her house is the way to Sheol,
    going down to the chambers of death.(Q)

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Footnotes

  1. 7.2 Heb little man
  2. 7.5 Heb strange woman
  3. 7.5 Heb alien woman
  4. 7.22 Cn Compare Gk: Meaning of Heb uncertain