Job 7-9
New American Standard Bible
Job’s Life Seems Futile
7 “[a]Is a person not (A)forced to labor on earth,
And are his days not like the days of (B)a hired worker?
2 As a slave pants for the shade,
And as a hired worker who eagerly waits for his wages,
3 So I am allotted worthless months,
And (C)nights of trouble are apportioned to me.
4 When I (D)lie down, I say,
‘When shall I arise?’
But the night continues,
And I am continually tossing until dawn.
5 My (E)flesh is clothed with maggots and a crust of dirt,
My skin hardens and [b]oozes.
6 My days are (F)swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,
And they come to an end (G)without hope.
7 “Remember that my life (H)is a mere breath;
My eye will (I)not see goodness again.
8 The (J)eye of him who sees me will no longer look at me;
Your eyes will be on me, but (K)I will not exist.
9 When a (L)cloud vanishes, it is gone;
In the same way (M)one who goes down to [c](N)Sheol does not come up.
10 He will not return to his house again,
Nor will (O)his place know about him anymore.
11 “Therefore (P)I will not restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit,
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
12 Am I the sea, or (Q)the sea monster,
That You set a guard over me?
13 If I say, ‘(R)My couch will comfort me,
My bed will [d]ease my complaint,’
14 Then You frighten me with dreams,
And terrify me by visions,
15 So that my soul would choose suffocation,
Death rather than my [e]pains.
16 I [f](S)waste away; I will not live forever.
Leave me alone, (T)for my days are only a breath.
17 (U)What is man that You exalt him,
And that You [g]are concerned about him,
18 That (V)You examine him every morning
And put him to the test every moment?
19 [h](W)Will You never turn Your gaze away from me,
Nor leave me alone until I swallow my spittle?
20 (X)Have I sinned? What have I done to You,
(Y)Watcher of mankind?
Why have You made me Your target,
So that I am a burden to myself?
21 Why then (Z)do You not forgive my wrongdoing
And take away my [i]guilt?
For now I will (AA)lie down in the dust;
And You will search for me, (AB)but I will no longer exist.”
Bildad Says God Rewards the Good
8 Then Bildad the Shuhite responded,
2 “How long will you say these things,
And the (AC)words of your mouth be a mighty wind?
3 Does (AD)God pervert justice?
Or does [j]the Almighty pervert what is right?
4 (AE)If your sons sinned against Him,
Then He turned them over to the [k]power of their wrongdoing.
5 If you will (AF)search for God
And implore the compassion of [l]the Almighty,
6 If you are pure and upright,
Surely now (AG)He will stir Himself for you
And restore your righteous [m](AH)estate.
7 Though your beginning was insignificant,
Yet your (AI)end will increase greatly.
8 “Please (AJ)inquire of past generations,
And consider the things searched out by their fathers.
9 For we are only of yesterday and know nothing,
Because (AK)our days on earth are as a shadow.
10 Will they not teach you and tell you,
And bring forth words from their minds?
11 “Can papyrus grow tall without a marsh?
Can the rushes grow without water?
12 While it is still green and not cut down,
Yet it withers before any other [n]plant.
13 So are the paths of (AL)all who forget God;
And the (AM)hope of the godless will perish,
14 His confidence is fragile,
And his trust is a (AN)spider’s [o]web.
15 He depends on his (AO)house, but it does not stand;
He holds on to it, but it does not endure.
16 He (AP)flourishes before the sun,
And his (AQ)shoots spread out over his garden.
17 His roots wrap around a rock pile,
He [p]grasps a house of stones.
18 If he is [q]removed from (AR)his place,
Then it will deny him, saying, ‘(AS)I never saw you.’
19 Behold, (AT)this is the joy of His way;
And out of the dust others will spring.
20 Behold, (AU)God will not reject a person of integrity,
Nor (AV)will He [r]help evildoers.
21 He will yet fill (AW)your mouth with laughter,
And your lips with joyful shouting.
22 Those who hate you will be (AX)clothed with shame,
And the (AY)tent of the wicked will no longer exist.”
Job Says There Is No Arbitrator between God and Mankind
9 Then Job responded,
2 “In truth I know that this is so;
But how can a (AZ)person be in the right with God?
3 If one wished to (BA)dispute with Him,
He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.
4 (BB)Wise in heart and (BC)mighty in strength,
Who has [s](BD)defied Him [t]without harm?
5 (BE)It is God who removes the mountains, and they do not know how,
When He overturns them in His anger.
6 It is He who (BF)shakes the earth from its place,
And its (BG)pillars tremble;
7 Who commands the (BH)sun [u]not to shine,
And puts a seal on the stars;
8 Who alone (BI)stretches out the heavens,
And [v](BJ)tramples down the waves of the sea;
9 Who makes the (BK)Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades,
And the [w](BL)constellations of the south.
10 It is He who (BM)does great things, [x]the unfathomable,
And wondrous works without number.
11 If He were to pass by me, (BN)I would not see Him;
Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him.
12 If He were to snatch away, who could (BO)restrain Him?
Who could say to Him, ‘(BP)What are You doing?’
13 “God will not turn back His anger;
Beneath Him the helpers of [y](BQ)Rahab cower.
14 How then can (BR)I [z]answer Him,
And choose my words [aa]before Him?
15 For (BS)though I were right, I could not [ab]answer;
I would have to (BT)implore the mercy of my Judge.
16 If I called and He answered me,
I could not believe that He was listening to my voice.
17 For He (BU)bruises me with a storm
And multiplies my wounds without cause.
18 He will (BV)not allow me to get my breath,
But He saturates me with (BW)bitterness.
19 If it is a matter of power, (BX)behold, He is the strong one!
And if it is a matter of justice, who can summon [ac]Him?
20 (BY)Though I am righteous, my mouth will (BZ)condemn me;
Though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty.
21 I am (CA)guiltless;
I do not take notice of myself;
I (CB)reject my life.
22 It is all one; therefore I say,
‘He (CC)destroys the guiltless and the wicked.’
23 If the whip kills suddenly,
He (CD)mocks the despair of the innocent.
24 The earth (CE)is handed over to the wicked;
He (CF)covers the faces of its judges.
If it is not He, then who is it?
25 “Now (CG)my days are swifter than a runner;
They flee away, (CH)they see no good.
26 They slip by like (CI)reed boats,
Like an (CJ)eagle that swoops on [ad]its prey.
27 Though I say, ‘I will forget (CK)my complaint,
I will [ae]put my face in order and be cheerful,’
28 I am (CL)afraid of all my pains,
I know that (CM)You will not acquit me.
29 I am (CN)guilty,
Why then should I struggle in vain?
30 If I (CO)washed myself with snow,
And cleansed (CP)my hands with lye,
31 Then You would plunge me into the pit,
And my own clothes would loathe me.
32 For (CQ)He is not a man, as I am, that (CR)I may answer Him—
That we may go to [af]court together!
33 There is no (CS)arbitrator between us,
Who can place his hand upon us both.
34 Let Him (CT)remove His rod from me,
And let not the dread of Him terrify me.
35 Then I (CU)would speak and not fear Him;
But I am not like that in myself.
Footnotes
- Job 7:1 Lit Has not man compulsory labor
- Job 7:5 Lit melts
- Job 7:9 I.e., the netherworld
- Job 7:13 Lit bear
- Job 7:15 Lit bones
- Job 7:16 Or loathe
- Job 7:17 Lit set Your heart on
- Job 7:19 Lit How long will You not
- Job 7:21 Or unjust deed
- Job 8:3 Heb Shaddai
- Job 8:4 Lit hand
- Job 8:5 Heb Shaddai
- Job 8:6 Lit place
- Job 8:12 Lit reed
- Job 8:14 Lit house
- Job 8:17 Heb sees
- Job 8:18 Lit swallowed up
- Job 8:20 Lit strengthen the hand of
- Job 9:4 Lit stiffened his neck against
- Job 9:4 Lit and remained safe
- Job 9:7 Lit and it does not shine
- Job 9:8 Lit treads upon the heights of
- Job 9:9 Lit chambers
- Job 9:10 Lit until there is no searching out
- Job 9:13 I.e., a sea monster, not to be confused with Rahab in Joshua 2
- Job 9:14 Or plead my case
- Job 9:14 Lit with
- Job 9:15 Or plead my case
- Job 9:19 As in LXX; Heb me
- Job 9:26 Lit food
- Job 9:27 I.e., improve the look
- Job 9:32 Lit judgment
Matthew 5:43-6:24
New American Standard Bible
43 “(A)You have heard that it was said, ‘(B)You shall love your neighbor (C)and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, (D)love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may prove yourselves to be (E)sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For (F)if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors, do they not do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Even the Gentiles, do they not do the same? 48 Therefore (G)you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Charitable Giving to the Poor and Prayer
6 “Take care not to practice your righteousness in the sight of people, (H)to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
2 “So when you [a]give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, so that they (I)will be praised by people. (J)Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3 But when you [b]give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your charitable giving will be in secret; and (K)your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
5 “And when you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to (L)stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners (M)so that they [c]will be seen by people. (N)Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 But as for you, when you pray, (O)go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret; and (P)your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
7 “And when you are praying, do not use thoughtless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their (Q)many words. 8 So do not be like them; for (R)your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
The Lord’s Prayer
9 “(S)Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father, who is in heaven,
[d]Hallowed be Your name.
10 [e](T)Your kingdom come.
(U)Your will be done,
[f]On earth as it is in heaven.
11 (V)Give us this day [g]our daily bread.
12 And (W)forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation, but (X)deliver us from [h](Y)evil.[i]’
14 (Z)For if you forgive other people for their [j]offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But (AA)if you do not forgive other people, then your Father will not forgive your [k]offenses.
Fasting; The True Treasure; Wealth
16 “Now (AB)whenever you fast, do not make a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they [l]distort their faces so that they will be noticed by people when they are fasting. (AC)Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 17 But as for you, when you fast, [m](AD)anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that your fasting will not be noticed by people but by your Father who is in secret; and your (AE)Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
19 “(AF)Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves (AG)treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for (AH)where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “(AI)The eye is the lamp of the body; so then, if your eye is [n]clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if (AJ)your eye is [o]bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24 “(AK)No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and [p](AL)wealth.
Footnotes
- Matthew 6:2 Lit make a charitable gift
- Matthew 6:3 Lit make a charitable gift
- Matthew 6:5 Lit may show themselves to
- Matthew 6:9 I.e., treated as sacred or holy
- Matthew 6:10 Or May Your...come
- Matthew 6:10 Lit as in heaven, also on earth
- Matthew 6:11 Or our bread for tomorrow
- Matthew 6:13 Or the evil one
- Matthew 6:13 Late mss add For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen
- Matthew 6:14 Or wrongdoings
- Matthew 6:15 Or wrongdoings
- Matthew 6:16 I.e., leave unwashed, or discolor their faces with makeup
- Matthew 6:17 I.e., rub oil in the hair
- Matthew 6:22 Or healthy; or sincere
- Matthew 6:23 Or evil
- Matthew 6:24 Gr mamonas, for Aramaic mamon (mammon); i.e., wealth etc. personified as an object of worship
Psalm 35-37
New American Standard Bible
Prayer for Rescue from Enemies.
A Psalm of David.
35 Contend, Lord, with those who (A)contend with me;
Fight against those who (B)fight against me.
2 Take hold of [a](C)buckler and shield
And rise up as (D)my help.
3 Draw also the spear and [b]the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me;
Say to my soul, “I am (E)your salvation.”
4 Let those be (F)ashamed and dishonored who seek my [c]life;
Let those be (G)turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me.
5 Let them be (H)like chaff before the wind,
With the angel of the Lord driving them on.
6 Let their way be dark and (I)slippery,
With the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
7 For (J)they (K)hid their net for me without cause;
Without cause they dug a pit for my soul.
8 Let (L)destruction come upon him when he is unaware,
And (M)let the net which he hid catch him;
Let him fall into that very (N)destruction.
9 So my soul shall (O)rejoice in the Lord;
It shall (P)rejoice in His salvation.
10 All my (Q)bones will say, “Lord, (R)who is like You,
Who rescues the afflicted from one (S)who is too strong for him,
And (T)the afflicted and the poor from one who robs him?”
11 (U)Malicious witnesses rise up;
They ask me things that I do not know.
12 They (V)repay me evil for good,
To the bereavement of my soul.
13 But as for me, (W)when they were sick, my (X)clothing was sackcloth;
I (Y)humbled my soul with fasting,
But my (Z)prayer kept returning to [d]me.
14 I went about as though it were my friend or brother;
I (AA)bowed down [e]in mourning, like one who mourns for a mother.
15 But (AB)at my [f]stumbling they rejoiced and gathered themselves together;
The [g](AC)afflicted people whom I did not know gathered together against me,
They [h](AD)slandered me without ceasing.
16 Like godless jesters at a feast,
They (AE)gnashed at me with their teeth.
17 Lord, (AF)how long will You look on?
Rescue my soul (AG)from their ravages,
My (AH)only life from the lions.
18 I will (AI)give You thanks in the great congregation;
I will (AJ)praise You among a mighty people.
19 (AK)Do not let those who are wrongfully (AL)my enemies rejoice over me;
Nor let those (AM)who hate me for no reason [i](AN)wink maliciously.
20 For they do not speak peace,
But they devise (AO)deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.
21 They (AP)opened their mouth wide against me;
They said, “(AQ)Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen it!”
22 (AR)You have seen it, Lord, (AS)do not keep silent;
Lord, (AT)do not be far from me.
23 (AU)Stir Yourself, and awake to my right
And to my cause, my God and my Lord.
24 (AV)Judge me, Lord my God, according to Your righteousness,
And (AW)do not let them rejoice over me.
25 Do not let them say in their heart, “(AX)Aha, our desire!”
Do not let them say, “We have (AY)swallowed him up!”
26 May (AZ)those be ashamed and altogether humiliated who rejoice at my distress;
May those who (BA)exalt themselves over me be (BB)clothed with shame and dishonor.
27 May those (BC)shout for joy and rejoice, who take delight in (BD)my vindication;
And (BE)may they say continually, “The Lord be exalted,
Who (BF)delights in the prosperity of His servant.”
28 And (BG)my tongue shall proclaim Your righteousness
And Your praise all day long.
Wickedness of Humanity and Goodness of God.
For the music director. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord.
36 [j]Wrongdoing speaks to the ungodly within [k]his heart;
There is (BH)no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For it (BI)flatters him in his own eyes
Concerning the discovery of his wrongful deed and the hatred of it.
3 The (BJ)words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;
He has (BK)ceased to [l]be wise and to do good.
4 He (BL)plans wickedness on his bed;
He sets himself on a (BM)path that is not good;
He (BN)does not reject evil.
5 Your (BO)mercy, Lord, [m]extends to the heavens,
Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
6 Your (BP)righteousness is like the [n]mountains of God;
Your (BQ)judgments are like the great deep.
Lord, You [o](BR)protect mankind and animals.
7 How (BS)precious is Your mercy, God!
And the sons of mankind (BT)take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
8 They (BU)drink their fill of the [p]abundance of Your house;
And You allow them to drink from the (BV)river of Your delights.
9 For the (BW)fountain of life is with You;
In Your light we see light.
10 Prolong Your mercy to (BX)those who know You,
And Your (BY)righteousness to the upright of heart.
11 May the foot of pride not come upon me,
And may the hand of the wicked not drive me away.
12 Those who do injustice have fallen there;
They have been thrust down and (BZ)cannot rise.
Security of Those Who Trust in the Lord, and Insecurity of the Wicked.
A Psalm of David.
37 (CA)Do not get upset because of evildoers,
Do not be (CB)envious of wrongdoers.
2 For they will (CC)wither quickly like the grass,
And (CD)decay like the green plants.
3 (CE)Trust in the Lord and do good;
(CF)Live in the land and [q](CG)cultivate faithfulness.
4 (CH)Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will (CI)give you the desires of your heart.
5 (CJ)Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
6 He will bring out (CK)your righteousness as the light,
And your judgment (CL)as the noonday.
7 [r]Rest in the Lord and (CM)wait [s]patiently for Him;
(CN)Do not get upset because of one who is (CO)successful in his way,
Because of the person who carries out wicked schemes.
8 Cease from anger and (CP)abandon wrath;
Do not get upset; it leads only to evildoing.
9 For (CQ)evildoers will be eliminated,
But those who wait for the Lord, they will (CR)inherit the land.
10 Yet (CS)a little while and the wicked person will be no more;
And you will look carefully for (CT)his place and he will not be there.
11 But (CU)the humble will inherit the land
And will delight themselves in (CV)abundant prosperity.
12 The wicked (CW)plots against the righteous,
And (CX)gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 The Lord (CY)laughs at him,
For He sees that (CZ)his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn the sword and (DA)bent their bow
To take down the (DB)afflicted and the needy,
To (DC)kill off those who are upright in conduct.
15 Their sword will enter their own heart,
And their (DD)bows will be broken.
16 (DE)Better is the little of the righteous
Than the abundance of many wicked.
17 For the (DF)arms of the wicked will be broken,
But the Lord (DG)sustains the righteous.
18 The Lord (DH)knows the days of the [t]blameless,
And their (DI)inheritance will be forever.
19 They will not be ashamed in the time of evil,
And (DJ)in the days of famine they will have plenty.
20 But the (DK)wicked will perish;
And the enemies of the Lord will be like the [u]glory of the pastures,
They vanish—(DL)like smoke they vanish away.
21 The wicked borrows and does not pay back,
But the righteous (DM)is gracious and gives.
22 For (DN)those blessed by Him will (DO)inherit the land,
But those (DP)cursed by Him will be eliminated.
23 (DQ)The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
And He (DR)delights in his way.
24 When (DS)he falls, he will not be hurled down,
Because (DT)the Lord is the One [v]who holds his hand.
25 I have been young and now I am old,
Yet (DU)I have not seen the righteous forsaken
Or (DV)his [w]descendants begging for bread.
26 All day long (DW)he is gracious and lends,
And (DX)his [x]descendants are a blessing.
27 (DY)Turn from evil and do good,
So that you will dwell (DZ)forever.
28 For the Lord (EA)loves [y]justice
And (EB)does not abandon His godly ones;
They are (EC)protected forever,
But the [z](ED)descendants of the wicked will be eliminated.
29 The righteous will (EE)inherit the land
And (EF)dwell in it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous (EG)utters wisdom,
And his tongue (EH)speaks justice.
31 The (EI)Law of his God is in his heart;
His (EJ)steps do not slip.
32 The (EK)wicked spies upon the righteous
And (EL)seeks to kill him.
33 The Lord will (EM)not leave him in his hand
Or (EN)let him be condemned when he is judged.
34 (EO)Wait for the Lord and keep His way,
And He will exalt you to inherit the land;
When the (EP)wicked are eliminated, you will see it.
35 I have (EQ)seen a wicked, violent person
Spreading himself like a (ER)luxuriant [aa]tree in its native soil.
36 Then he passed away, and behold, he (ES)was no more;
I searched for him, but he could not be found.
37 Observe the [ab](ET)blameless person, and look at the (EU)upright;
For the person of peace will have (EV)a future.
38 But wrongdoers will altogether be (EW)destroyed;
The future of the wicked will be (EX)eliminated.
39 But the (EY)salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
He is their strength (EZ)in time of trouble.
40 (FA)The Lord helps them and rescues them;
He (FB)rescues them from the wicked and saves them,
Because they (FC)take refuge in Him.
Footnotes
- Psalm 35:2 I.e., small shield
- Psalm 35:3 Or close up the path against those
- Psalm 35:4 Or soul
- Psalm 35:13 Lit my chest
- Psalm 35:14 Or dressed for mourning
- Psalm 35:15 Or limping
- Psalm 35:15 Or struck ones
- Psalm 35:15 Lit tore
- Psalm 35:19 Or wink the eye
- Psalm 36:1 Or Rebellion
- Psalm 36:1 Another reading is my heart
- Psalm 36:3 Or understand to do good
- Psalm 36:5 Lit is in
- Psalm 36:6 Or mighty mountains
- Psalm 36:6 Or help
- Psalm 36:8 Lit fatness
- Psalm 37:3 Or feed securely; or feed on His faithfulness
- Psalm 37:7 Or Be still
- Psalm 37:7 Or longingly
- Psalm 37:18 Lit complete; or perfect
- Psalm 37:20 I.e., flowers
- Psalm 37:24 Or who sustains him with His hand
- Psalm 37:25 Lit seed
- Psalm 37:26 Lit seed
- Psalm 37:28 Lit judgment
- Psalm 37:28 Lit seed
- Psalm 37:35 Lit native; Heb obscure
- Psalm 37:37 Lit complete; or perfect
Proverbs 7
New American Standard Bible
The Lures of the Prostitute
7 My son, (A)keep my words
And treasure my commandments within you.
2 (B)Keep my commandments and live,
And my [a]teaching (C)as the [b]apple of your eye.
3 (D)Bind them on your fingers;
(E)Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your intimate friend,
5 So that they may keep you from an [c]adulteress,
From the foreigner who flatters with her words.
6 For (F)at the window of my house
I looked out (G)through my lattice,
7 And I saw among the (H)naive,
And discerned among the [d]youths
A young man (I)lacking [e]sense,
8 Passing through the street near (J)her corner;
And he walks along the way to (K)her house,
9 In the (L)twilight, in the [f]evening,
In the [g]middle of the night and the darkness.
10 And behold, a woman comes to meet him,
(M)Dressed as a prostitute and cunning of heart.
11 She is (N)boisterous and rebellious,
Her (O)feet do not remain at home;
12 She is now in the streets, now (P)in the public squares,
And (Q)lurks by every corner.
13 So she seizes him and kisses him,
[h]And with a (R)brazen face she says to him:
14 “[i]I was due to offer (S)peace offerings;
Today I have (T)paid my vows.
15 Therefore I have come out to meet you,
To seek your presence diligently, and I have found you.
16 I have spread my couch with (U)coverings,
With colored (V)linens of Egypt.
17 I have sprinkled my bed
With (W)myrrh, aloes, and (X)cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s drink our fill of love until morning;
Let’s delight ourselves with caresses.
19 For [j]my husband is not at home;
He has gone on a long journey.
20 He has taken a (Y)bag of money [k]with him.
At the full moon he will come home.”
21 With her many persuasions she entices him;
With her [l](Z)flattering lips she seduces him.
22 Suddenly he follows her
As an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or as [m]one walks in ankle bracelets to the discipline of a fool,
23 Until an arrow pierces through his liver;
As a (AA)bird hurries to the snare,
So he does not know that it will cost him his life.
24 Now therefore, my sons, (AB)listen to me,
And pay attention to the words of my mouth.
25 Do not let your heart (AC)turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths.
26 For many are the [n]victims she has brought to ruin,
And (AD)numerous are all those slaughtered by her.
27 Her (AE)house is the way to Sheol,
Descending to the chambers of death.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 7:2 Or law
- Proverbs 7:2 Lit pupil
- Proverbs 7:5 Lit strange woman
- Proverbs 7:7 Lit sons
- Proverbs 7:7 Lit heart
- Proverbs 7:9 Lit evening of the day
- Proverbs 7:9 Lit pupil (of the eye)
- Proverbs 7:13 Lit She makes bold her face and says
- Proverbs 7:14 Lit Sacrifices of peace offerings are with me
- Proverbs 7:19 Lit the man
- Proverbs 7:20 Lit in his hand
- Proverbs 7:21 Lit smooth
- Proverbs 7:22 Or as a stag goes into a trap; as in some ancient versions, Heb is uncertain
- Proverbs 7:26 Lit wounded
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
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