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My son, keep my words.
    Lay up my commandments within you.
Keep my commandments and live!
    Guard my teaching as the apple of your eye.
Bind them on your fingers.
    Write them on the tablet of your heart.
Tell wisdom, “You are my sister.”
    Call understanding your relative,
that they may keep you from the strange woman,
    from the foreigner who flatters with her words.
For at the window of my house,
    I looked out through my lattice.
I saw among the simple ones.
    I discerned among the youths a young man void of understanding,
passing through the street near her corner,
    he went the way to her house,
in the twilight, in the evening of the day,
    in the middle of the night and in the darkness.
10 Behold, there a woman met him with the attire of a prostitute,
    and with crafty intent.
11 She is loud and defiant.
    Her feet don’t stay in her house.
12 Now she is in the streets, now in the squares,
    and lurking at every corner.
13 So she caught him, and kissed him.
    With an impudent face she said to him:
14 “Sacrifices of peace offerings are with me.
    Today I have paid my vows.
15 Therefore I came out to meet you,
    to diligently seek your face,
    and I have found you.
16 I have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry,
    with striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s take our fill of loving until the morning.
    Let’s solace ourselves with loving.
19 For my husband isn’t at home.
    He has gone on a long journey.
20 He has taken a bag of money with him.
    He will come home at the full moon.”
21 With persuasive words, she led him astray.
    With the flattering of her lips, she seduced him.
22 He followed her immediately,
    as an ox goes to the slaughter,
    as a fool stepping into a noose.
23 Until an arrow strikes through his liver,
    as a bird hurries to the snare,
    and doesn’t know that it will cost his life.

24 Now therefore, sons, listen to me.
    Pay attention to the words of my mouth.
25 Don’t let your heart turn to her ways.
    Don’t go astray in her paths,
26 for she has thrown down many wounded.
    Yes, all her slain are a mighty army.
27 Her house is the way to Sheol,[a]
    going down to the rooms of death.

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Footnotes

  1. 7:27 Sheol is the place of the dead.

My son, obey my words,
and treasure my commands.(A)
Keep my commands and live;(B)
protect my teachings
as the pupil of your eye.(C)
Tie them to your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.(D)
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”(E)
and call understanding your relative.
She will keep you from a forbidden woman,
a stranger with her flattering talk.(F)

A Story of Seduction

At the window of my house
I looked through my lattice.(G)
I saw among the inexperienced,[a]
I noticed among the youths,
a young man lacking sense.
Crossing the street near her corner,
he strolled down the road to her house
at twilight, in the evening,
in the dark of the night.(H)
10 A woman came to meet him
dressed like a prostitute,(I)
having a hidden agenda.[b]
11 She is loud and defiant;(J)
her feet do not stay at home.(K)
12 Now in the street, now in the squares,(L)
she lurks at every corner.(M)
13 She grabs him and kisses him;
she brazenly says[c] to him,
14 “I’ve made fellowship offerings;[d]
today I’ve fulfilled my vows.(N)
15 So I came out to meet you,
to search for you, and I’ve found you.
16 I’ve spread coverings on my bed(O)
richly colored linen from Egypt.(P)
17 I’ve perfumed my bed
with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.(Q)
18 Come, let’s drink deeply of lovemaking until morning.(R)
Let’s feast on each other’s love!
19 My husband isn’t home;
he went on a long journey.
20 He took a bag of money with him
and will come home at the time of the full moon.”
21 She seduces him with her persistent pleading;
she lures with her flattering[e] talk.
22 He follows her impulsively
like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer bounding toward a trap[f]
23 until an arrow pierces its[g] liver,(S)
like a bird darting into a snare(T)
he doesn’t know it will cost him his life.

24 Now, my sons, listen to me,
and pay attention to the words of my mouth.
25 Don’t let your heart turn aside to her ways;
don’t stray onto her paths.(U)
26 For she has brought many down to death;
her victims are countless.[h]
27 Her house is the road to Sheol,
descending to the chambers of death.(V)

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 7:7 Or simple, or gullible, or naive
  2. Proverbs 7:10 Or prostitute with a guarded heart
  3. Proverbs 7:13 Lit she makes her face strong and says
  4. Proverbs 7:14 Meat from a fellowship offering had to be eaten on the day it was offered; therefore she is inviting him to a feast at her house.
  5. Proverbs 7:21 Lit smooth
  6. Proverbs 7:22 Text emended; MT reads like a shackle to the discipline of a fool; Hb obscure
  7. Proverbs 7:23 Or his
  8. Proverbs 7:26 Or and powerful men are all her victims