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Proverbs 2-7
Darby Translation
Proverbs 2-7
Darby Translation
2 My son, if thou receivest my words, and layest up my commandments with thee,
2 so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom [and] thou apply thy heart to understanding;
3 yea, if thou criest after discernment [and] liftest up thy voice to understanding;
4 if thou seekest her as silver and searchest for her as for hidden treasures:
5 then shalt thou understand the fear of Jehovah, and find the knowledge of God.
6 For Jehovah giveth wisdom; out of his mouth [come] knowledge and understanding.
7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the upright; [he] is a shield to them that walk in integrity;
8 guarding the paths of just judgment and keeping the way of his godly ones.
9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness and judgment and equity: every good path.
10 When wisdom entereth into thy heart and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul,
11 discretion shall keep thee, understanding shall preserve thee:
12 To deliver thee from the way of evil, from the man that speaketh froward things;
13 [from those] who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;
14 who rejoice to do evil, [and] delight in the frowardness of evil;
15 whose paths are crooked, and who are perverted in their course:
16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, from the stranger who flattereth with her words;
17 who forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God;
18 —for her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead;
19 none that go unto her return again, neither do they attain to the paths of life:
20 —that thou mayest walk in the way of the good, and keep the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it;
22 but the wicked shall be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful shall be plucked up out of it.
3 My son, forget not my teaching, and let thy heart observe my commandments;
2 for length of days, and years of life, and peace shall they add to thee.
3 Let not loving-kindness and truth forsake thee; bind them about thy neck, write them upon the tablet of thy heart:
4 and thou shalt find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
5 Confide in Jehovah with all thy heart, and lean not unto thine own intelligence;
6 in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he will make plain thy paths.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes; fear Jehovah, and depart from evil:
8 it shall be health for thy navel, and moisture for thy bones.
9 Honour Jehovah with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase;
10 so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy vats shall overflow with new wine.
11 My son, despise not the instruction of Jehovah, neither be weary of his chastisement;
12 for whom Jehovah loveth he chasteneth, even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
13 Blessed is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
14 For the gain thereof is better than the gain of silver, and her revenue than fine gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies; and all the things thou canst desire are not equal unto her.
16 Length of days is in her right hand; in her left hand riches and honour.
17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her; and happy is he that retaineth her.
19 Jehovah by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens.
20 By his knowledge the deeps were broken up, and the skies drop down the dew.
21 My son, let them not depart from thine eyes; keep sound wisdom and discretion:
22 so shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace unto thy neck.
23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way securely, and thy foot shall not stumble;
24 when thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid, but thou shalt lie down and thy sleep shall be sweet.
25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the destruction of the wicked, when it cometh;
26 for Jehovah shall be thy confidence, and he will keep thy foot from being taken.
27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thy hand to do it.
28 Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to-morrow I will give, when thou hast it by thee.
29 Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.
30 Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.
31 Envy not the man of violence, and choose none of his ways.
32 For the perverse is an abomination to Jehovah; but his secret is with the upright.
33 The curse of Jehovah is in the house of the wicked; but he blesseth the habitation of the righteous.
34 He indeed scorneth the scorners; but he giveth grace unto the lowly.
35 The wise shall inherit glory; but shame shall be the promotion of the foolish.
4 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know intelligence;
2 for I give you good doctrine: forsake ye not my law.
3 For I was a son unto my father, tender and an only one in the sight of my mother.
4 And he taught me, and said unto me, Let thy heart retain my words; keep my commandments and live.
5 Get wisdom, get intelligence: forget [it] not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
6 Forsake her not, and she shall keep thee; love her, and she shall preserve thee.
7 The beginning of wisdom [is], Get wisdom; and with all thy getting get intelligence.
8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee; she shall bring thee to honour when thou dost embrace her.
9 She shall give to thy head a garland of grace; a crown of glory will she bestow upon thee.
10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of thy life shall be multiplied.
11 I will teach thee in the way of wisdom, I will lead thee in paths of uprightness.
12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
13 Take fast hold of instruction, let [her] not go: keep her, for she is thy life.
14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil [men]:
15 avoid it, pass not by it; turn from it, and pass away.
16 For they sleep not except they have done mischief, and their sleep is taken away unless they have caused [some] to fall.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.
18 But the path of the righteous is as the shining light, going on and brightening until the day be fully come.
19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thy heart.
22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
23 Keep thy heart more than anything that is guarded; for out of it are the issues of life.
24 Put away from thee perverseness of mouth, and corrupt lips put far from thee.
25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be well-ordered.
27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left; remove thy foot from evil.
5 My son, attend unto my wisdom, incline thine ear to my understanding;
2 that thou mayest keep reflection, and that thy lips may preserve knowledge.
3 For the lips of the strange woman drop honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil;
4 but her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on Sheol.
6 Lest she should ponder the path of life, her ways wander, she knoweth not [whither].
7 And now, children, hearken unto me, and depart not from the words of my mouth.
8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:
9 lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel;
10 lest strangers be filled with thy wealth, and the fruits of thy toil [come] into the house of a stranger;
11 and thou mourn in thine end, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed;
12 and thou say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof!
13 and I have not hearkened unto the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to those that instructed me;
14 I was well nigh in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.
15 Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.
16 Thy fountains shall be poured forth, as water-brooks in the broadways.
17 Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee.
18 Let thy fountain be blessed; and have joy of the wife of thy youth.
19 As a lovely hind and a graceful roe, let her breasts satisfy thee at all times: be thou ravished continually with her love.
20 And why shouldest thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?
21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of Jehovah, and he pondereth all his paths.
22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sin.
23 He shall die for want of discipline; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
6 My son, if thou hast become surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand for a stranger,
2 thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.
3 Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, since thou hast come into the hand of thy friend: go, humble thyself, and be urgent with thy friend.
4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids:
5 deliver thyself as a gazelle from the hand [of the hunter], and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways and be wise:
7 which having no chief, overseer, or ruler,
8 provideth her bread in the summer, [and] gathereth her food in the harvest.
9 How long, sluggard, wilt thou lie down? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest!
11 So shall thy poverty come as a roving plunderer, and thy penury as an armed man.
12 A man of Belial, a wicked person, is he that goeth about with a perverse mouth;
13 he winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;
14 deceits are in his heart; he deviseth mischief at all times, he soweth discords.
15 Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly: in a moment shall he be broken, and without remedy.
16 These six [things] doth Jehovah hate, yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood;
18 a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations; feet that are swift in running to mischief;
19 a false witness that uttereth lies, and he that soweth discords among brethren.
20 My son, observe thy father's commandment, and forsake not the teaching of thy mother;
21 bind them continually upon thy heart, tie them about thy neck:
22 when thou walkest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and [when] thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
23 For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching a light, and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
24 to keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
25 Lust not after her beauty in thy heart, neither let her take thee with her eyelids;
26 for by means of a whorish woman [a man is brought] to a loaf of bread, and another's wife doth hunt for the precious soul.
27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his garments not be burned?
28 Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be scorched?
29 So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife: whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.
30 They do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry:
31 and if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.
32 Whoso committeth adultery with a woman is void of understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.
33 A wound and contempt shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy is the rage of a man, and he will not spare in the day of vengeance;
35 he will not regard any ransom, neither will he rest content though thou multipliest [thy] gifts.
7 My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my teaching, as the apple of thine eye.
3 Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the tablet of thy heart.
4 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister, and call intelligence [thy] kinswoman:
5 that they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger who flattereth with her words.
6 For at the window of my house, I looked forth through my lattice,
7 and I beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the sons, a young man void of understanding,
8 passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,
9 in the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the blackness of night and the darkness.
10 And behold, there met him a woman in the attire of a harlot, and subtle of heart.
11 She is clamorous and unmanageable; her feet abide not in her house:
12 now without, now in the broadways,—and she lieth in wait at every corner.
13 And she caught him and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him,
14 I have peace-offerings with me; this day have I paid my vows:
15 therefore came I forth to meet thee, to seek earnestly thy face, and I have found thee.
16 I have decked my bed with tapestry coverlets of variegated linen from Egypt;
17 I have perfumed my couch with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us revel in love until the morning, let us delight ourselves with loves.
19 For the husband is not at home, he is gone a long journey;
20 he hath taken the money-bag with him, he will come home on the day of the full moon.
21 With her much enticement she beguiled him; with the smoothness of her lips she constrained him.
22 He went after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, and as stocks [serve] for the correction of the fool;
23 till an arrow strike through his liver: as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for its life.
24 And now, ye sons, hearken unto me, and attend to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not thy heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths:
26 for she hath cast down many wounded, and all slain by her were strong.
27 Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death.
Proverbs 2-7
New International Version
Proverbs 2-7
New International Version
Moral Benefits of Wisdom
2 My son,(A) if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding(B)—
3 indeed, if you call out for insight(C)
and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,(D)
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.(E)
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;(F)
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.(G)
7 He holds success in store for the upright,
he is a shield(H) to those whose walk is blameless,(I)
8 for he guards the course of the just
and protects the way of his faithful ones.(J)
9 Then you will understand(K) what is right and just
and fair—every good path.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart,(L)
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
11 Discretion will protect you,
and understanding will guard you.(M)
12 Wisdom will save(N) you from the ways of wicked men,
from men whose words are perverse,
13 who have left the straight paths
to walk in dark ways,(O)
14 who delight in doing wrong
and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,(P)
15 whose paths are crooked(Q)
and who are devious in their ways.(R)
16 Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,(S)
from the wayward woman with her seductive words,
17 who has left the partner of her youth
and ignored the covenant she made before God.[a](T)
18 Surely her house leads down to death
and her paths to the spirits of the dead.(U)
19 None who go to her return
or attain the paths of life.(V)
20 Thus you will walk in the ways of the good
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will live in the land,(W)
and the blameless will remain in it;
22 but the wicked(X) will be cut off from the land,(Y)
and the unfaithful will be torn from it.(Z)
Wisdom Bestows Well-Being
3 My son,(AA) do not forget my teaching,(AB)
but keep my commands in your heart,
2 for they will prolong your life many years(AC)
and bring you peace and prosperity.(AD)
3 Let love and faithfulness(AE) never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.(AF)
4 Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.(AG)
5 Trust in the Lord(AH) with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths(AI) straight.[b](AJ)
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;(AK)
fear the Lord(AL) and shun evil.(AM)
8 This will bring health to your body(AN)
and nourishment to your bones.(AO)
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth,
with the firstfruits(AP) of all your crops;
10 then your barns will be filled(AQ) to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine.(AR)
11 My son,(AS) do not despise the Lord’s discipline,(AT)
and do not resent his rebuke,
12 because the Lord disciplines those he loves,(AU)
as a father the son he delights in.[c](AV)
13 Blessed are those who find wisdom,
those who gain understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.(AW)
15 She is more precious than rubies;(AX)
nothing you desire can compare with her.(AY)
16 Long life is in her right hand;(AZ)
in her left hand are riches and honor.(BA)
17 Her ways are pleasant ways,
and all her paths are peace.(BB)
18 She is a tree of life(BC) to those who take hold of her;
those who hold her fast will be blessed.(BD)
19 By wisdom(BE) the Lord laid the earth’s foundations,(BF)
by understanding he set the heavens(BG) in place;
20 by his knowledge the watery depths were divided,
and the clouds let drop the dew.
21 My son,(BH) do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight,(BI)
preserve sound judgment and discretion;
22 they will be life for you,(BJ)
an ornament to grace your neck.(BK)
23 Then you will go on your way in safety,(BL)
and your foot will not stumble.(BM)
24 When you lie down,(BN) you will not be afraid;(BO)
when you lie down, your sleep(BP) will be sweet.
25 Have no fear of sudden disaster
or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,
26 for the Lord will be at your side(BQ)
and will keep your foot(BR) from being snared.(BS)
27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to act.
28 Do not say to your neighbor,
“Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”—
when you already have it with you.(BT)
29 Do not plot harm against your neighbor,
who lives trustfully near you.(BU)
30 Do not accuse anyone for no reason—
when they have done you no harm.
31 Do not envy(BV) the violent
or choose any of their ways.
32 For the Lord detests the perverse(BW)
but takes the upright into his confidence.(BX)
33 The Lord’s curse(BY) is on the house of the wicked,(BZ)
but he blesses the home of the righteous.(CA)
34 He mocks(CB) proud mockers(CC)
but shows favor to the humble(CD) and oppressed.
35 The wise inherit honor,
but fools get only shame.
Get Wisdom at Any Cost
4 Listen, my sons,(CE) to a father’s instruction;(CF)
pay attention and gain understanding.(CG)
2 I give you sound learning,
so do not forsake my teaching.
3 For I too was a son to my father,
still tender, and cherished by my mother.
4 Then he taught me, and he said to me,
“Take hold(CH) of my words with all your heart;
keep my commands, and you will live.(CI)
5 Get wisdom,(CJ) get understanding;
do not forget my words or turn away from them.
6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;(CK)
love her, and she will watch over you.(CL)
7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get[d] wisdom.
Though it cost all(CM) you have,[e] get understanding.(CN)
8 Cherish her, and she will exalt you;
embrace her, and she will honor you.(CO)
9 She will give you a garland to grace your head
and present you with a glorious crown.(CP)”
10 Listen, my son,(CQ) accept what I say,
and the years of your life will be many.(CR)
11 I instruct(CS) you in the way of wisdom
and lead you along straight paths.(CT)
12 When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;
when you run, you will not stumble.(CU)
13 Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;
guard it well, for it is your life.(CV)
14 Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
or walk in the way of evildoers.(CW)
15 Avoid it, do not travel on it;
turn from it and go on your way.
16 For they cannot rest until they do evil;(CX)
they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.
17 They eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.(CY)
18 The path of the righteous(CZ) is like the morning sun,(DA)
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.(DB)
19 But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;(DC)
they do not know what makes them stumble.(DD)
20 My son,(DE) pay attention to what I say;
turn your ear to my words.(DF)
21 Do not let them out of your sight,(DG)
keep them within your heart;
22 for they are life to those who find them
and health to one’s whole body.(DH)
23 Above all else, guard(DI) your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.(DJ)
24 Keep your mouth free of perversity;
keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
25 Let your eyes(DK) look straight ahead;
fix your gaze directly before you.
26 Give careful thought to the[f] paths for your feet(DL)
and be steadfast in all your ways.
27 Do not turn to the right or the left;(DM)
keep your foot from evil.
Warning Against Adultery
5 My son,(DN) pay attention to my wisdom,
turn your ear to my words(DO) of insight,
2 that you may maintain discretion
and your lips may preserve knowledge.
3 For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil;(DP)
4 but in the end she is bitter as gall,(DQ)
sharp as a double-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead straight to the grave.(DR)
6 She gives no thought to the way of life;
her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it.(DS)
7 Now then, my sons, listen(DT) to me;
do not turn aside from what I say.
8 Keep to a path far from her,(DU)
do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you lose your honor to others
and your dignity[g] to one who is cruel,
10 lest strangers feast on your wealth
and your toil enrich the house of another.(DV)
11 At the end of your life you will groan,
when your flesh and body are spent.
12 You will say, “How I hated discipline!
How my heart spurned correction!(DW)
13 I would not obey my teachers
or turn my ear to my instructors.
14 And I was soon in serious trouble(DX)
in the assembly of God’s people.”(DY)
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
running water from your own well.
16 Should your springs overflow in the streets,
your streams of water in the public squares?
17 Let them be yours alone,
never to be shared with strangers.
18 May your fountain(DZ) be blessed,
and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.(EA)
19 A loving doe, a graceful deer(EB)—
may her breasts satisfy you always,
may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
20 Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife?
Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?
21 For your ways are in full view(EC) of the Lord,
and he examines(ED) all your paths.(EE)
22 The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them;(EF)
the cords of their sins hold them fast.(EG)
23 For lack of discipline they will die,(EH)
led astray by their own great folly.(EI)
Warnings Against Folly
6 My son,(EJ) if you have put up security(EK) for your neighbor,(EL)
if you have shaken hands in pledge(EM) for a stranger,
2 you have been trapped by what you said,
ensnared by the words of your mouth.
3 So do this, my son, to free yourself,
since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands:
Go—to the point of exhaustion—[h]
and give your neighbor no rest!
4 Allow no sleep to your eyes,
no slumber to your eyelids.(EN)
5 Free yourself, like a gazelle(EO) from the hand of the hunter,(EP)
like a bird from the snare of the fowler.(EQ)
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard;(ER)
consider its ways and be wise!
7 It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
8 yet it stores its provisions in summer(ES)
and gathers its food at harvest.(ET)
9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard?(EU)
When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest(EV)—
11 and poverty(EW) will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man.
12 A troublemaker and a villain,
who goes about with a corrupt mouth,
13 who winks maliciously with his eye,(EX)
signals with his feet
and motions with his fingers,(EY)
14 who plots evil(EZ) with deceit in his heart—
he always stirs up conflict.(FA)
15 Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant;(FB)
he will suddenly(FC) be destroyed—without remedy.(FD)
16 There are six things the Lord hates,(FE)
seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes,(FF)
a lying tongue,(FG)
hands that shed innocent blood,(FH)
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,(FI)
19 a false witness(FJ) who pours out lies(FK)
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.(FL)
Warning Against Adultery
20 My son,(FM) keep your father’s command
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.(FN)
21 Bind them always on your heart;
fasten them around your neck.(FO)
22 When you walk, they will guide you;
when you sleep, they will watch over you;
when you awake, they will speak to you.
23 For this command is a lamp,
this teaching is a light,(FP)
and correction and instruction
are the way to life,(FQ)
24 keeping you from your neighbor’s wife,
from the smooth talk of a wayward woman.(FR)
25 Do not lust in your heart after her beauty
or let her captivate you with her eyes.
26 For a prostitute can be had for a loaf of bread,
but another man’s wife preys on your very life.(FS)
27 Can a man scoop fire into his lap
without his clothes being burned?
28 Can a man walk on hot coals
without his feet being scorched?
29 So is he who sleeps(FT) with another man’s wife;(FU)
no one who touches her will go unpunished.
30 People do not despise a thief if he steals
to satisfy his hunger when he is starving.
31 Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold,(FV)
though it costs him all the wealth of his house.
32 But a man who commits adultery(FW) has no sense;(FX)
whoever does so destroys himself.
33 Blows and disgrace are his lot,
and his shame will never(FY) be wiped away.
34 For jealousy(FZ) arouses a husband’s fury,(GA)
and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.
35 He will not accept any compensation;
he will refuse a bribe, however great it is.(GB)
Warning Against the Adulterous Woman
7 My son,(GC) keep my words
and store up my commands within you.
2 Keep my commands and you will live;(GD)
guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
3 Bind them on your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.(GE)
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.(GF)
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.(GG)
8 He was going down the street near her corner,
walking along in the direction of her house
9 at twilight,(GH) 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(GI) and defiant,
her feet never stay at home;
12 now in the street, now in the squares,
at every corner she lurks.)(GJ)
13 She took hold of him(GK) and kissed him
and with a brazen face she said:(GL)
14 “Today I fulfilled my vows,
and I have food from my fellowship offering(GM) 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(GN)
with myrrh,(GO) aloes and cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning;
let’s enjoy ourselves with love!(GP)
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.(GQ)
22 All at once he followed her
like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer[i] stepping into a noose[j](GR)
23 till an arrow pierces(GS) his liver,
like a bird darting into a snare,
little knowing it will cost him his life.(GT)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 2:17 Or covenant of her God
- Proverbs 3:6 Or will direct your paths
- Proverbs 3:12 Hebrew; Septuagint loves, / and he chastens everyone he accepts as his child
- Proverbs 4:7 Or Wisdom is supreme; therefore get
- Proverbs 4:7 Or wisdom. / Whatever else you get
- Proverbs 4:26 Or Make level
- Proverbs 5:9 Or years
- Proverbs 6:3 Or Go and humble yourself,
- Proverbs 7:22 Syriac (see also Septuagint); Hebrew fool
- Proverbs 7:22 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
Darby Translation (DARBY)
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New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.