Proverbs 5:1-14

The Voice

5 My son, stay focused; listen to the wisdom I have gained;
    give attention to what I have learned about life
² So you may be able to make sensible judgments
    and speak with knowledge.
³ You see, the lips of a seductive woman speak honey-sweet words;
    they are smooth like oil and enticing.
⁴ But in the end, she is bitter,
    turning the stomach and rotting the soul;
    she cuts as deep as a double-edged sword.
⁵ She leads you down a path that can only end in death;
    her steps lead eventually to the grave.
⁶ She does not travel the road to life and truth.
    She follows a wandering path—
    a rocky, pit-filled road that twists and turns—and she doesn’t even know it.

⁷ So, my children, listen to me.
    Do not stray from my advice.
⁸ Stay away from her, far away from her path;
    don’t even go near her door
⁹ Unless you are ready to hand over your reputation to someone else,
    unless you want to spend the rest of your years at the mercy of some cruel person.
¹⁰ If you do, strangers will help themselves to your wealth,
    and everything you have worked hard to acquire will end up in someone else’s hands.
¹¹ Your life will end with groanings of remorse, of opportunities missed,
    and your flesh and bones will be eaten up with sorrow, regret for worthless efforts.
¹² Then you’ll say, “Why did I hate being taught?
    Why did I turn my back on correction?
¹³ I disregarded all that my teachers said to me;
    I turned my ear away from my instructors!
¹⁴ Now I am on the edge of complete and utter ruin
    in the midst of the community.”