Proverbs 5
Modern English Version
Warning Against Adultery
5 My son, attend to my wisdom,
and bow your ear to my understanding,
2 that you may regard discretion,
and that your lips may keep knowledge.
3 For the lips of an immoral woman drip as a honeycomb,
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 of Sheol.
6 She does not ponder the path of life;
her ways are unstable, and she does not know it.
7 Hear me now therefore, O children,
and do not depart from the words of my mouth.
8 Remove your way far from her,
and do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you give your honor to others,
and your years to the cruel;
10 lest strangers be filled with your wealth,
and your labors go to the house of a stranger;
11 and you mourn at the last,
when your flesh and your body are consumed,
12 and say, “How I have hated instruction,
and my heart despised reproof!
13 And I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers,
nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me!
14 I was almost in utter ruin
in the midst of the congregation and assembly.”
15 Drink waters out of your own cistern,
and running waters out of your own well.
16 Should your fountains be dispersed abroad,
streams of water in the streets?
17 Let them be only your own,
and not for strangers with you.
18 Let your fountain be blessed,
and rejoice with the wife of your youth.
19 Let her be as the loving deer and pleasant doe;
let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
and always be enraptured with her love.
20 Why should you, my son, be intoxicated by an immoral woman,
and embrace the bosom of a seductress?
21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord,
and He ponders all his goings.
22 His own iniquities entrap the wicked himself,
and he is snared in the cords of his sins.
23 He will die for lack of instruction,
and in the greatness of his folly he will go astray.
Proverbs 5
Names of God Bible
Avoid Adultery
5 My son,
pay attention to my wisdom.
Open your ears to my understanding
2 so that you may act with foresight
and speak with insight.
3 The lips of an adulterous woman drip with honey.
Her kiss is smoother than oil,
4 but in the end she is as bitter as wormwood,
as sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet descend to death.
Her steps lead straight to hell.
6 She doesn’t even think about the path of life.
Her steps wander, and she doesn’t realize it.
7 But now, sons,
listen to me,
and do not turn away from what I say to you.
8 Stay far away from her.
Do not even go near her door.
9 Either you will surrender your reputation to others
and the rest of your years to some cruel person,
10 or strangers will benefit from your strength
and you will have to work hard in a pagan’s house.
11 Then you will groan when your end comes,
when your body and flesh are consumed.
You will say,
12 “Oh, how I hated discipline!
How my heart despised correction!
13 I didn’t listen to what my teachers said to me,
nor did I keep my ear open to my instructors.
14 I almost reached total ruin
in the assembly and in the congregation.”
15 Drink water out of your own cistern
and running water from your own well.
16 Why should water flow out of your spring?
Why should your streams flow into the streets?
17 They should be yours alone,
so do not share them with strangers.
18 Let your own fountain be blessed,
and enjoy the girl you married when you were young,
19 a loving doe and a graceful deer.[a]
Always let her breasts satisfy you.
Always be intoxicated with her love.
20 Why should you, my son,
be intoxicated with an adulterous woman
and fondle a loose woman’s breast?
21 Each person’s ways are clearly seen by Yahweh,
and he surveys all his actions.
22 A wicked person will be trapped by his own wrongs,
and he will be caught in the ropes of his own sin.
23 He will die for his lack of discipline
and stumble around because of his great stupidity.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 5:19 Or “graceful goat.”
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.