要遠離淫婦

孩子啊,你要遵從我的吩咐,
    把我的誡命珍藏在心中。
遵守我的誡命,你便存活。
    要愛護我的訓言,
    如愛護眼中的瞳人。
要繫在你的指頭上,
    刻在你的心版上。
你要把智慧當作姊妹,
    將悟性視為親人。
她們能使你遠離淫婦,
    遠離妓女的甜言蜜語。

我曾在家裡的窗前,
    透過窗櫺往外觀看,
只見在愚昧的青年人中,
    有個無知的青年,
他穿過靠近淫婦的巷口,
    朝她的家門走去,
趁著日暮黃昏,
    藉著夜色昏暗。
10 看啊!一個妓女打扮、
    心術不正的女子出來迎接他。
11 她喧嚷放蕩,不安分守家,
12 有時在街上,有時在廣場,
    或在各巷口守候。
13 她纏著那青年,與他親吻,
    厚顏無恥地說:
14 「我今天剛獻祭還了願,
    家裡有平安祭肉[a]
15 因此我出來四處尋找你,
    終於找到了你!
16 我已經鋪好了床,
    鋪上了埃及的繡花布,
17 又用沒藥、沉香、肉桂薰了床。
18 來吧,讓我們通宵暢飲愛情,
    讓我們盡情歡愛!
19 因為我丈夫不在家,出遠門了。
20 他帶著錢囊去了,月底才回來。」
21 淫婦花言巧語勾引他,
    用諂媚的話語誘惑他。
22 那青年立刻隨她而去,
    像走向屠宰場的公牛,
    又像掉入陷阱的雄鹿,
23 直等到利箭射穿他的肝。
    他像隻自投網羅的飛鳥,
    渾然不知要賠上性命!

24 孩子們啊,你們要聽從我的話,
    留意我口中的訓言,
25 別讓你的心偏向淫婦的道,
    步入她的歧途。
26 因為她使許多人喪命,
    被她殺害的數目眾多。
27 她的家是通往陰間的路,
    引人墜入死亡的殿。

Footnotes

  1. 7·14 按猶太律法規定,還願之後所得的祭肉要在第二天吃完。參考利未記7·16

The Wiles of a Harlot

My son, keep my words,
And (A)treasure my commands within you.
(B)Keep my commands and live,
(C)And my law as the apple of your eye.
(D)Bind them on your fingers;
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your nearest kin,
(E)That they may keep you from the immoral woman,
From the seductress who flatters with her words.

The Crafty Harlot

For at the window of my house
I looked through my lattice,
And saw among the simple,
I perceived among the [a]youths,
A young man (F)devoid[b] of understanding,
Passing along the street near her corner;
And he took the path to her house
(G)In the twilight, in the evening,
In the black and dark night.

10 And there a woman met him,
With the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart.
11 (H)She was loud and rebellious,
(I)Her feet would not stay at home.
12 At times she was outside, at times in the open square,
Lurking at every corner.
13 So she caught him and kissed him;
With an [c]impudent face she said to him:
14 I have peace offerings with me;
Today I have paid my vows.
15 So I came out to meet you,
Diligently to seek your face,
And I have found you.
16 I have spread my bed with tapestry,
Colored coverings of (J)Egyptian linen.
17 I have perfumed my bed
With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love until morning;
Let us delight ourselves with love.
19 For [d]my husband is not at home;
He has gone on a long journey;
20 He has taken a bag of money [e]with him,
And will come home [f]on the appointed day.”

21 [g]With (K)her enticing speech she caused him to yield,
(L)With her flattering lips she [h]seduced him.
22 Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or [i]as a fool to the correction of the [j]stocks,
23 Till an arrow struck his liver.
(M)As a bird hastens to the snare,
He did not know it [k]would cost his life.

24 Now therefore, listen to me, my children;
Pay attention to the words of my mouth:
25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths;
26 For she has cast down many wounded,
And (N)all who were slain by her were strong men.
27 (O)Her house is the way to [l]hell,
Descending to the chambers of death.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 7:7 Lit. sons
  2. Proverbs 7:7 lacking
  3. Proverbs 7:13 shameless
  4. Proverbs 7:19 Lit. the man
  5. Proverbs 7:20 Lit. in his hand
  6. Proverbs 7:20 at the full moon
  7. Proverbs 7:21 By the greatness of her words
  8. Proverbs 7:21 compelled
  9. Proverbs 7:22 LXX, Syr., Tg. as a dog to bonds; Vg. as a lamb . . . to bonds
  10. Proverbs 7:22 shackles
  11. Proverbs 7:23 Lit. is for
  12. Proverbs 7:27 Or Sheol

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