16 To deliver you from (A)the immoral woman,
(B)From the seductress who flatters with her words,

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16 Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,(A)
    from the wayward woman with her seductive words,

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26 (A)And I find more bitter than death
The woman whose heart is snares and nets,
Whose hands are fetters.
[a]He who pleases God shall escape from her,
But the sinner shall be trapped by her.

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Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 7:26 Lit. He who is good before God

26 I find more bitter than death
    the woman who is a snare,(A)
whose heart is a trap
    and whose hands are chains.
The man who pleases God will escape her,
    but the sinner she will ensnare.(B)

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24 (A)To keep you from the evil woman,
From the flattering tongue of a seductress.

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24 keeping you from your neighbor’s wife,
    from the smooth talk of a wayward woman.(A)

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27 (A)For a harlot is a deep pit,
And a seductress is a narrow well.

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27 for an adulterous woman is a deep pit,(A)
    and a wayward wife is a narrow well.

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14 (A)The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit;
(B)He who is abhorred by the Lord will fall there.

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14 The mouth of an adulterous woman is a deep pit;(A)
    a man who is under the Lord’s wrath falls into it.(B)

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(A)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 (B)devoid[b] of understanding,
Passing along the street near her corner;
And he took the path to her house
(C)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 (D)She was loud and rebellious,
(E)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 (F)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 (G)her enticing speech she caused him to yield,
(H)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.
(I)As a bird hastens to the snare,
He did not know it [k]would cost his life.

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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

They will keep you from the adulterous woman,
    from the wayward woman with her seductive words.(A)

At the window of my house
    I looked down through the lattice.
I saw among the simple,
    I noticed among the young men,
    a youth who had no sense.(B)
He was going down the street near her corner,
    walking along in the direction of her house
at twilight,(C) 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(D) and defiant,
    her feet never stay at home;
12 now in the street, now in the squares,
    at every corner she lurks.)(E)
13 She took hold of him(F) and kissed him
    and with a brazen face she said:(G)

14 “Today I fulfilled my vows,
    and I have food from my fellowship offering(H) 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(I)
    with myrrh,(J) aloes and cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning;
    let’s enjoy ourselves with love!(K)
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.(L)
22 All at once he followed her
    like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer[a] stepping into a noose[b](M)
23     till an arrow pierces(N) his liver,
like a bird darting into a snare,
    little knowing it will cost him his life.(O)

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 7:22 Syriac (see also Septuagint); Hebrew fool
  2. Proverbs 7:22 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.

26 (A)Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? Yet among many nations there was no king like him, (B)who was beloved of his God; and God made him king over all Israel. (C)Nevertheless pagan women caused even him to sin. 27 Should we then hear of your doing all this great evil, (D)transgressing against our God by marrying pagan women?”

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26 Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him.(A) He was loved by his God,(B) and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women.(C) 27 Must we hear now that you too are doing all this terrible wickedness and are being unfaithful to our God by marrying(D) foreign women?”

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And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord (A)made all he did [a]to prosper in his hand. So Joseph (B)found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him (C)overseer of his house, and all that he had he put [b]under his authority. So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that (D)the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field. Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s [c]hand, and he did not know what he had except for the [d]bread which he ate.

Now Joseph (E)was handsome in form and appearance.

And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife [e]cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, (F)“Lie with me.”

But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. (G)How then can I do this great wickedness, and (H)sin against God?”

10 So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he (I)did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.

11 But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, 12 that she (J)caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside.

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 39:3 to be a success
  2. Genesis 39:4 Lit. in his hand
  3. Genesis 39:6 Care
  4. Genesis 39:6 Food
  5. Genesis 39:7 Lit. lifted up her eyes toward

When his master saw that the Lord was with him(A) and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did,(B) Joseph found favor in his eyes(C) and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household,(D) and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.(E) From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household(F) of the Egyptian because of Joseph.(G) The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.(H) So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care;(I) with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome,(J) and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”(K)

But he refused.(L) “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care.(M) No one is greater in this house than I am.(N) My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”(O) 10 And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused(P) to go to bed with her or even be with her.

11 One day he went into the house to attend to his duties,(Q) and none of the household servants(R) was inside. 12 She caught him by his cloak(S) and said, “Come to bed with me!”(T) But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.(U)

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A man who (A)flatters his neighbor
Spreads a net for his feet.

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Those who flatter their neighbors
    are spreading nets for their feet.(A)

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(A)For the lips of [a]an immoral woman drip honey,
And her mouth is (B)smoother than oil;
But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
Sharp as a two-edged sword.
Her feet go down to death,
(C)Her steps lay hold of [b]hell.
Lest you ponder her path of life—
Her ways are unstable;
You do not know them.

Therefore hear me now, my children,
And do not depart from the words of my mouth.
Remove your way far from her,
And do not go near the door of her house,
Lest you give your [c]honor to others,
And your years to the cruel one;
10 Lest aliens be filled with your [d]wealth,
And your labors go to the house of a foreigner;
11 And you mourn at last,
When your flesh and your body are consumed,
12 And say:
“How I have hated instruction,
And my heart despised correction!
13 I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers,
Nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me!
14 I was on the verge of total ruin,
In the midst of the assembly and congregation.”

15 Drink water from your own cistern,
And running water from your own well.
16 Should your fountains be dispersed abroad,
[e]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 (D)the wife of your youth.
19 (E)As a loving deer and a graceful doe,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
And always be [f]enraptured with her love.
20 For why should you, my son, be enraptured by (F)an immoral woman,
And be embraced in the arms of a seductress?

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 5:3 Lit. a strange
  2. Proverbs 5:5 Or Sheol
  3. Proverbs 5:9 vigor
  4. Proverbs 5:10 Lit. strength
  5. Proverbs 5:16 Channels
  6. Proverbs 5:19 Lit. intoxicated

For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey,
    and her speech is smoother than oil;(A)
but in the end she is bitter as gall,(B)
    sharp as a double-edged sword.
Her feet go down to death;
    her steps lead straight to the grave.(C)
She gives no thought to the way of life;
    her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it.(D)

Now then, my sons, listen(E) to me;
    do not turn aside from what I say.
Keep to a path far from her,(F)
    do not go near the door of her house,
lest you lose your honor to others
    and your dignity[a] to one who is cruel,
10 lest strangers feast on your wealth
    and your toil enrich the house of another.(G)
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!(H)
13 I would not obey my teachers
    or turn my ear to my instructors.
14 And I was soon in serious trouble(I)
    in the assembly of God’s people.”(J)

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(K) be blessed,
    and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.(L)
19 A loving doe, a graceful deer(M)
    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?

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 5:9 Or years