¹⁵ Drink water from your own cistern,
And ^[a]fresh water from your own well.
¹⁶ Should your ^(A)springs overflow into the street,
Streams of water in the public squares?
¹⁷ Let them be yours alone,
And not for strangers with you.
¹⁸ Let your ^(B)fountain be blessed,
And ^(C)rejoice in the ^(D)wife of your youth.
¹⁹ Like a loving ^(E)doe and a graceful mountain goat,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
Be ^[b]exhilarated always with her love.
²⁰ For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an ^[c](F)adulteress,
And embrace the breasts of a ^(G)foreigner?
²¹ For the ^(H)ways of everyone are before the eyes of the Lord,
And He ^(I)observes all his paths.
²² His ^(J)own wrongdoings will trap the wicked,
And he will be held by the ropes of his sin.
²³ He will ^(K)die for lack of instruction,
And in the greatness of his foolishness he will go astray.