要远离淫妇

孩子啊,你要遵从我的吩咐,
    把我的诫命珍藏在心中。
遵守我的诫命,你便存活。
    要爱护我的训言,
    如爱护眼中的瞳仁。
要系在你的指头上,
    刻在你的心版上。
你要把智慧当作姊妹,
    将悟性视为亲人。
她们能使你远离淫妇,
    远离妓女的甜言蜜语。

我曾在家里的窗前,
    透过窗棂往外观看,
只见在愚昧的青年人中,
    有个无知的青年,
他穿过靠近淫妇的巷口,
    朝她的家门走去,
趁着日暮黄昏,
    借着夜色昏暗。
10 看啊!一个妓女打扮、
    心术不正的女子出来迎接他。
11 她喧嚷放荡,不安分守家,
12 有时在街上,有时在广场,
    或在各巷口守候。
13 她缠着那青年,与他亲吻,
    厚颜无耻地说:
14 “我今天刚献祭还了愿,
    家里有平安祭肉[a]
15 因此我出来四处寻找你,
    终于找到了你!
16 我已经铺好了床,
    铺上了埃及的绣花布,
17 又用没药、沉香、肉桂熏了床。
18 来吧,让我们通宵畅饮爱情,
    让我们尽情欢爱!
19 因为我丈夫不在家,出远门了。
20 他带着钱囊去了,月底才回来。”
21 淫妇花言巧语勾引他,
    用谄媚的话语诱惑他。
22 那青年立刻随她而去,
    像走向屠宰场的公牛,
    又像掉入陷阱的雄鹿,
23 直等到利箭射穿他的肝。
    他像只自投网罗的飞鸟,
    浑然不知要赔上性命!

24 孩子们啊,你们要听从我的话,
    留意我口中的训言,
25 别让你的心偏向淫妇的道,
    步入她的歧途。
26 因为她使许多人丧命,
    被她杀害的数目众多。
27 她的家是通往阴间的路,
    引人坠入死亡的殿。

Footnotes

  1. 7:14 按犹太律法规定,还愿之后所得的祭肉要在第二天吃完。参考利未记7:16

Warning Against the Adulteress

(A)My son, keep my words
    and (B)treasure up my commandments with you;
(C)keep my commandments and live;
    keep my teaching as (D)the apple of your eye;
(E)bind them on your fingers;
    (F)write them on the tablet of your heart.
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
    and call insight your intimate friend,
to keep you from (G)the forbidden[a] woman,
    from (H)the adulteress[b] with her smooth words.

For at (I)the window of my house
    I have looked out through my lattice,
and I have seen among (J)the simple,
    I have perceived among the youths,
    a young man (K)lacking sense,
passing along the street (L)near her corner,
    taking the road to her house
in (M)the twilight, in the evening,
    at (N)the time of night and darkness.

10 And behold, the woman meets him,
    (O)dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.[c]
11 She is (P)loud and (Q)wayward;
    (R)her feet do not stay at home;
12 now in the street, now in the market,
    and (S)at every corner she (T)lies in wait.
13 She seizes him and kisses him,
    and with (U)bold face she says to him,
14 “I had to (V)offer sacrifices,[d]
    and today I have (W)paid my vows;
15 so now I have come out to meet you,
    to seek you eagerly, and I have found you.
16 I have spread my couch with (X)coverings,
    colored linens from (Y)Egyptian linen;
17 I have perfumed my bed with (Z)myrrh,
    aloes, and (AA)cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love till morning;
    let us delight ourselves with love.
19 For (AB)my husband is not at home;
    he has gone on a long journey;
20 he took a bag of money with him;
    at full moon he will come home.”

21 With much seductive speech she persuades him;
    with (AC)her smooth talk she compels him.
22 All at once he follows her,
    as an ox goes to the slaughter,
or as a stag is caught fast[e]
23     till an arrow pierces its liver;
as (AD)a bird rushes into a snare;
    he does not know that it will cost him his life.

24 And (AE)now, O sons, listen to me,
    and be attentive to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not your heart turn aside to her ways;
    do not stray into her paths,
26 for many a victim has she laid low,
    and all her slain are (AF)a mighty throng.
27 Her house is (AG)the way to Sheol,
    going down to the chambers of death.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 7:5 Hebrew strange
  2. Proverbs 7:5 Hebrew the foreign woman
  3. Proverbs 7:10 Hebrew guarded in heart
  4. Proverbs 7:14 Hebrew peace offerings
  5. Proverbs 7:22 Probable reading (compare Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac); Hebrew as a chain to discipline a fool

Warning Against the Adulterous Woman

My son,(A) keep my words
    and store up my commands within you.
Keep my commands and you will live;(B)
    guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
Bind them on your fingers;
    write them on the tablet of your heart.(C)
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
    and to insight, “You are my relative.”
They will keep you from the adulterous woman,
    from the wayward woman with her seductive words.(D)

At the window of my house
    I looked down through the lattice.
I saw among the simple,
    I noticed among the young men,
    a youth who had no sense.(E)
He was going down the street near her corner,
    walking along in the direction of her house
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)

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 7:22 Syriac (see also Septuagint); Hebrew fool
  2. Proverbs 7:22 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.