Proverbs 7
Christian Standard Bible
7 My son, obey my words,
and treasure my commands.(A)
2 Keep my commands and live,(B)
and guard my instructions
as you would the pupil of your eye.(C)
3 Tie them to your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.(D)
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”(E)
and call understanding your relative.
5 She will keep you from a forbidden woman,
a wayward woman with her flattering talk.(F)
A Story of Seduction
6 At the window of my house
I looked through my lattice.(G)
7 I saw among the inexperienced,[a]
I noticed among the youths,
a young man lacking sense.
8 Crossing the street near her corner,
he strolled down the road to her house
9 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;
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 silver 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 talk.
22 He follows her impulsively
like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer bounding toward a trap[d]
23 until an arrow pierces its[e] liver,(S)
like a bird darting into a snare(T)—
he doesn’t know it will cost him his life.
Proverbs 7
Evangelical Heritage Version
Tenth Address to a Son:
Wisdom Protects You From Adultery and Death
7 My son, guard what I say.
Keep my commands with you.
2 Obey my commands so that you may live.
Protect my teachings like the pupil of your eye.
3 Tie them to your fingers.
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to Wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call Understanding your relative.[a]
5 She will keep you safe from an immoral woman,
from an unfaithful woman and her seductive words.
Wisdom’s Warning
6 At a window of my house, I looked out through the lattice.
7 I was watching the gullible[b] people.
Among the young men I noticed a youth without sense.
8 He was crossing the street near her corner,
strolling along the road to her house,
9 in the twilight, in the evening of the day,
when the darkness of the night was coming.[c]
10 Suddenly a woman meets him.
She is dressed like a prostitute with a scheming heart!
11 She is loud and rebellious.
Her feet will not stay home.
12 One moment she is in the street.
The next moment she is in the public square.
She is on the prowl near every corner.
13 She grabs him and kisses him.
With a brazen face she says,
14 “I have food from fellowship offerings.
Today I fulfilled my vows.
15 That is why I came out to meet you.
I came eagerly to seek you,
and now I have found you!
16 I have covered my couch with a bedspread,
with colored cloth made of Egyptian yarn.
17 I have perfumed my bed
with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s drink our fill of love[d] until morning.
Let’s enjoy making love.
19 Look, my husband isn’t home.
He has gone on a long trip.
20 He took a bag of silver with him.
He will not come home till the next full moon.”
21 She deceives him with enticing words.
With smooth lips she seduces him.
22 He follows right after her,
like a steer going to slaughter,
like a deer prancing into a noose,[e]
23 until an arrow pierces its liver,
like a bird darting into a trap.
He does not realize this will cost him his life.
24 Now, you sons, listen to me.
Pay attention to the words from my mouth.
25 Do not let your heart turn in her direction.
Do not wander on her pathways,
26 because she has brought down many victims.
Those she has killed are countless.
27 Her house is on the road to the grave.[f]
It goes down to the chambers of death.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 7:4 Or close friend
- Proverbs 7:7 Or naïve
- Proverbs 7:9 Literally in the pupil of the night and darkness
- Proverbs 7:18 The Hebrew word refers to physical expressions of love.
- Proverbs 7:22 The ancient versions support the translation. The Hebrew text reads like an anklet to the discipline of a fool. Reading the word for fool as the very similar word for deer leads to the translation above. The context seems to require the trapping of an animal.
- Proverbs 7:27 Or on the highway to hell. The Hebrew word is sheol.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.