ca să-ţi păstrezi chibzuinţa
    şi buzele tale să păzească cunoştinţa!
Buzele femeii adultere picură miere,
    şi cuvintele ei sunt mai alunecoase decât untdelemnul,
dar la urmă sunt mai amare decât pelinul,
    mai ascuţite ca o sabie cu două tăişuri.

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That you may act discreetly,
    and your lips guard what you know.
Indeed, the lips of the stranger drip honey,[a]
    and her mouth is smoother than oil;(A)
But in the end she is as bitter as wormwood,
    as sharp as a two-edged sword.

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Footnotes

  1. 5:3 A metaphorical level is established in the opening description of the forbidden woman: her lips drip honey and her feet lead to death. By her lies, she leads people away from the wisdom that gives life.