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Warning against Impurity and Infidelity

My child, be attentive to my wisdom;
    incline your ear to my understanding,(A)
so that you may hold on to prudence,
    and your lips may guard knowledge.
For the lips of a loose woman[a] drip honey,
    and her speech is smoother than oil,(B)
but in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
    sharp as a two-edged sword.(C)
Her feet go down to death;
    her steps follow the path to Sheol.
She does not keep straight to the path of life;
    her ways wander, and she does not know it.

And now, my child,[b] listen to me,
    and do not depart from the words of my mouth.(D)
Keep your way far from her,
    and do not go near the door of her house,(E)
lest you give your honor to others
    and your years to the merciless,
10 and strangers take their fill of your wealth,
    and your labors go to the house of an alien,
11 and at the end of your life you groan,
    when your flesh and body are consumed,
12 and you say, “Oh, how I hated discipline,
    and my heart despised reproof!(F)
13 I did not listen to the voice of my teachers
    or incline my ear to my instructors.
14 Now I am at the point of utter ruin
    in the public assembly.”

15 Drink water from your own cistern,
    flowing water from your own well.
16 Should your springs be scattered abroad,
    streams of water in the streets?(G)
17 Let them be for yourself alone
    and not for sharing with strangers.
18 Let your fountain be blessed,
    and rejoice in the wife of your youth,(H)
19     a lovely deer, a graceful doe.
May her breasts satisfy you at all times;
    may you be intoxicated always by her love.(I)
20 Why should you be intoxicated, my son, by another woman
    and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?[c](J)
21 For human ways are under the eyes of the Lord,
    and he examines all their paths.(K)
22 The iniquities of the wicked ensnare them,
    and they are caught in the coils of their sin.(L)
23 They die for lack of discipline,
    and because of their great folly they are lost.(M)

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Footnotes

  1. 5.3 Heb strange woman
  2. 5.7 Gk Vg: Heb children
  3. 5.20 Heb alien woman

Warning against Sexual Immorality

My son, pay attention to my wisdom,
and listen closely to my insight,
so you may carefully practice[a] discretion
    and your lips preserve knowledge.
For the lips of an adulteress drip honey,
    and her speech[b] is smoother than oil.
But in the end she is as bitter as wormwood,[c]
    and as sharp as a double-edged sword.
Her feet go down to death;
    her steps lead to Sheol.[d]
You aren’t thinking about[e] where her life is headed;
    her steps wander, but you do not realize[f] it.

Now, children,[g] listen to me.
    Don’t turn away from what I am saying.[h]
Keep[i] far away from her,
    and don’t go near the entrance to her house,
so that you don’t give your honor to others,
    and waste your best years;[j]
10 so that strangers don’t enrich themselves at your expense,[k]
    and your work won’t end up the possession of foreigners.[l]
11 You will cry out in anguish when your end comes,
    when your flesh and body are consumed,
12 and you will say, “How I hated instruction,[m]
    and my heart rejected correction!
13 I did not obey my teachers
    and did not listen[n] to my instructors.
14 Now I am at the point of utter disaster
    in[o] the assembly and in the congregation.”

The Delights of Marital Faithfulness

15 Drink water from your own cistern,
    and fresh[p] water from your own well.
16 Should your springs flow outside,
    or streams of water in the street?
17 They should be for you alone
    and not for strangers who are with you.
18 Let your fountain be blessed
    and enjoy the wife of your youth.
19 Like a loving deer, a beautiful doe,
    let her breasts satisfy you all the time.
        Be constantly intoxicated by her love.
20 Why should you be intoxicated by an adulteress, my son,
    and embrace the bosom of a foreign woman?

21 Indeed, what a man does is[q] always in the Lord’s presence,[r]
    and he weighs all his paths.
22 The wicked person’s iniquities will capture him,
    and he will be held with the cords of his sin.
23 He will die for lack of discipline,
    and he goes astray because of his great folly.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 5:2 Lit. guard
  2. Proverbs 5:3 Lit. palate
  3. Proverbs 5:4 Wormwood is a plant with an extremely bitter taste.
  4. Proverbs 5:5 I.e. the realm of the dead
  5. Proverbs 5:6 Or She does not consider
  6. Proverbs 5:6 Or she does not realize
  7. Proverbs 5:7 Or sons
  8. Proverbs 5:7 Lit. from the words of my mouth
  9. Proverbs 5:8 Lit. Keep your path
  10. Proverbs 5:9 Lit. and your years to the cruel
  11. Proverbs 5:10 Lit. don’t satisfy themselves with your strength
  12. Proverbs 5:10 Lit. won’t go into a foreigner’s house
  13. Proverbs 5:12 Or discipline
  14. Proverbs 5:13 Lit. incline my ear
  15. Proverbs 5:14 Lit. in the midst of
  16. Proverbs 5:15 Lit. flowing
  17. Proverbs 5:21 Lit. Indeed, a man’s ways are
  18. Proverbs 5:21 Lit. in front of the Lord’s eyes

Warning Against Adultery

My son,(A) pay attention to my wisdom,
    turn your ear to my words(B) of insight,
that you may maintain discretion
    and your lips may preserve knowledge.
For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey,
    and her speech is smoother than oil;(C)
but in the end she is bitter as gall,(D)
    sharp as a double-edged sword.
Her feet go down to death;
    her steps lead straight to the grave.(E)
She gives no thought to the way of life;
    her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it.(F)

Now then, my sons, listen(G) to me;
    do not turn aside from what I say.
Keep to a path far from her,(H)
    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.(I)
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!(J)
13 I would not obey my teachers
    or turn my ear to my instructors.
14 And I was soon in serious trouble(K)
    in the assembly of God’s people.”(L)

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

21 For your ways are in full view(P) of the Lord,
    and he examines(Q) all your paths.(R)
22 The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them;(S)
    the cords of their sins hold them fast.(T)
23 For lack of discipline they will die,(U)
    led astray by their own great folly.(V)

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 5:9 Or years

My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:

That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.

For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:

But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.

Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.

Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.

Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.

Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:

Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:

10 Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;

11 And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,

12 And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;

13 And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!

14 I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.

15 Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.

16 Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets.

17 Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee.

18 Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.

19 Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.

20 And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?

21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings.

22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.

23 He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

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20 My child, keep your father’s commandment,
    and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.(A)
21 Bind them upon your heart always;
    tie them around your neck.(B)
22 When you walk, they[a] will lead you;
    when you lie down, they[b] will watch over you;
    and when you awake, they[c] will talk with you.(C)
23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,
    and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,(D)
24 to preserve you from the wife of another,[d]
    from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.[e](E)
25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
    and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes,(F)
26 for a prostitute’s fee is only a loaf of bread,[f]
    but the wife of another stalks a man’s precious life.(G)
27 Can fire be carried in the bosom
    without burning one’s clothes?
28 Or can one walk on hot coals
    without scorching the feet?
29 So is he who sleeps with his neighbor’s wife;
    no one who touches her will go unpunished.(H)
30 Thieves are not despised who steal only
    to satisfy their appetite when they are hungry.
31 Yet if they are caught, they will pay sevenfold;
    they will forfeit all the goods of their house.(I)
32 But he who commits adultery has no sense;
    he who does it destroys himself.(J)
33 He will get wounds and dishonor,
    and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy arouses a husband’s fury,
    and he will show no restraint when he takes revenge.(K)
35 He will accept no compensation
    and will refuse a bribe no matter how great.

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Footnotes

  1. 6.22 Heb it
  2. 6.22 Heb it
  3. 6.22 Heb it
  4. 6.24 Gk: MT the evil woman
  5. 6.24 Heb alien woman
  6. 6.26 Cn Compare Gk Syr Vg Tg: Heb for because of a harlot to a piece of bread

Parental Counsel about Immorality

20 Keep your father’s commands, my son,
    and never forsake your mother’s rules,[a]
21 by binding them to your heart continuously,
    fastening them around your neck.
22 During your travels wisdom[b] will lead you;
    she will watch over you while you rest;
and when you are startled from your sleep,
    she will commune with you.
23 Because the command is a lamp
    and the Law a light,
        rebukes that discipline are a way of life—
24 to protect you from the evil[c] woman,
    from the words of the seductive woman.

25 Do not focus on her beauty in your mind,
    nor allow her to take you prisoner with her flirting eyes,
26 because the price of a whore is a loaf of bread,
    and an adulterous woman stalks a man’s precious life.

27 Can a man scoop fire into his bosom
    without burning his clothes?
28 Can a man walk on hot coals
    without scorching his feet?
29 So also is it with someone who has sex with his neighbor’s wife;
    anyone touching her will not remain unpunished.

30 A thief isn’t despised
    if he steals to meet his needs[d] when he is hungry,
31 but when he is discovered,
    he must restore seven-fold,
        forfeiting the entire value of his house.

32 Whoever commits adultery with a woman is out of his mind;
    by doing so he corrupts his own soul.
33 He will receive a beating and dishonor,
    and his shame won’t disappear,
34 because jealousy incites[e] a strong man’s rage,
    and he will show no mercy when it’s time for revenge.
35 He will not consider any payment,
    nor will he be willing to accept it,[f]
        no matter how large the bribe.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 6:20 Or laws
  2. Proverbs 6:22 Lit. wisdom; i.e. wisdom personified as a woman
  3. Proverbs 6:24 So MT; LXX reads married
  4. Proverbs 6:30 Lit. to refresh his soul
  5. Proverbs 6:34 The Heb. lacks incites
  6. Proverbs 6:35 The Heb. lacks to accept it

Warning Against Adultery

20 My son,(A) keep your father’s command
    and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.(B)
21 Bind them always on your heart;
    fasten them around your neck.(C)
22 When you walk, they will guide you;
    when you sleep, they will watch over you;
    when you awake, they will speak to you.
23 For this command is a lamp,
    this teaching is a light,(D)
and correction and instruction
    are the way to life,(E)
24 keeping you from your neighbor’s wife,
    from the smooth talk of a wayward woman.(F)

25 Do not lust in your heart after her beauty
    or let her captivate you with her eyes.

26 For a prostitute can be had for a loaf of bread,
    but another man’s wife preys on your very life.(G)
27 Can a man scoop fire into his lap
    without his clothes being burned?
28 Can a man walk on hot coals
    without his feet being scorched?
29 So is he who sleeps(H) with another man’s wife;(I)
    no one who touches her will go unpunished.

30 People do not despise a thief if he steals
    to satisfy his hunger when he is starving.
31 Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold,(J)
    though it costs him all the wealth of his house.
32 But a man who commits adultery(K) has no sense;(L)
    whoever does so destroys himself.
33 Blows and disgrace are his lot,
    and his shame will never(M) be wiped away.

34 For jealousy(N) arouses a husband’s fury,(O)
    and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.
35 He will not accept any compensation;
    he will refuse a bribe, however great it is.(P)

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20 My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

21 Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.

22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.

23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

24 To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.

25 Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.

26 For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adultress will hunt for the precious life.

27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?

28 Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?

29 So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.

30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;

31 But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.

32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.

33 A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.

34 For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

35 He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.

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The False Attractions of Adultery

My child, keep my words
    and store up my commandments with you;(A)
keep my commandments and live;
    keep my teachings as the apple[a] of your eye;(B)
bind them on your fingers;
    write them on the tablet of your heart.(C)
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
    and call insight your intimate friend,
that they may keep you from the loose woman,[b]
    from the adulteress[c] with her smooth words.(D)

For at the window of my house
    I looked out through my lattice,
and I saw among the simple ones,
    I observed among the youths,
    a young man without sense,(E)
passing along the street near her corner,
    taking the road to her house(F)
in the twilight, in the evening,
    at the time of night and darkness.(G)

10 Then a woman comes toward him
    decked out like a prostitute, with hidden intent.
11 She is loud and wayward;
    her feet do not stay at home;(H)
12 now in the street, now in the squares,
    and at every corner she lies in wait.(I)
13 She seizes him and kisses him,
    and with impudent face she says to him:
14 “I had to offer sacrifices,
    and today I have paid my vows;(J)
15 so now I have come out to meet you,
    to seek you eagerly, and I have found you!
16 I have decked my couch with coverings,
    colored spreads of Egyptian linen;(K)
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 my husband is not at home;
    he has gone on a long journey.
20 He took a bag of money with him;
    he will not come home until full moon.”

21 With much seductive speech she persuades him;
    with her smooth talk she compels him.(L)
22 Right away he follows her
    and goes like an ox to the slaughter
or bounds like a stag toward the trap[d]
23     until an arrow pierces its entrails.
He is like a bird rushing into a snare,
    not knowing that it will cost him his life.(M)

24 And now, my children, listen to me,
    and be attentive to the words of my mouth.(N)
25 Do not let your hearts turn aside to her ways;
    do not stray into her paths.(O)
26 For many are those she has laid low,
    and numerous are her victims.(P)
27 Her house is the way to Sheol,
    going down to the chambers of death.(Q)

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Footnotes

  1. 7.2 Heb little man
  2. 7.5 Heb strange woman
  3. 7.5 Heb alien woman
  4. 7.22 Cn Compare Gk: Meaning of Heb uncertain

On Avoiding the Immoral Woman

My son, guard what I say
and treasure my commands.
Keep my commands and you’ll live.
    Guard[a] my teaching as you do your eyesight.
Strap them to your fingers
    and engrave them on the tablet of your heart.
Say to wisdom, “You’re my sister!”
    and call understanding your close relative,
so they can keep you from an adulterous woman,
    from the immoral woman with her seductive words.

A Father’s Warning

For from a window in my house
    I peered through the lattice work,
and I noticed among the naïve—
    that is, I discerned among the youths—
        a senseless young man.
Proceeding down the street near her corner,
    he makes his way toward her house
at twilight, during the evening,
    even during the darkest part of the night.
10 Look! A woman makes her way to meet him,
    dressed as a prostitute
        and intending to entrap him.
11 She is brazen and defiant—
    her feet don’t remain at home.
12 Now she is in the street, now in the plazas,
    she lurks near every corner.

13 So she grabs hold of him and kisses him,
    with a brazen face she speaks to him,
14 “I have given[b] my peace offerings,
    and today I fulfilled my vows.
15 Therefore, I’ve come out to meet you,
    I’ve looked just for you,
        and I found you!
16 I’ve decorated my bed with new coverings—
    embroidered linen from Egypt.
17 I’ve perfumed my bed
    with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s make love until dawn;
    let’s comfort ourselves with love,
19 because my husband isn’t home.
    He left on a long trip.
20 He took a fist full of cash
    and he’ll return home in a month.”

21 She leads him astray with great persuasion;
    with flattering lips she seduces him.
22 All of a sudden he follows her
    like an ox fit for slaughter
        or like a fool fit for a trap[c]
23 until an arrow pierces his liver.
    As a bird darts into a snare,
        he doesn’t realize his fatal decision.[d]

24 So listen to me, my sons,
    and pay attention to what I have to say.
25 Don’t be led astray by her lifestyle,[e]
    and don’t imitate her behavior.[f]
26 For many are the victims whom she has conquered,
    and many are her slain.
27 Her house leads to Sheol,[g]
    descending to death’s catacombs.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 7:2 The Heb. lacks Guard
  2. Proverbs 7:14 The Heb. lacks given
  3. Proverbs 7:22 So MT; LXX reads a dog fit for chains
  4. Proverbs 7:23 Lit. realize it is his life
  5. Proverbs 7:25 Lit. ways
  6. Proverbs 7:25 Lit. paths
  7. Proverbs 7:27 I.e. the realm of the dead

Warning Against the Adulterous Woman

My son,(A) keep my words
    and store up my commands within you.
Keep my commands and you will live;(B)
    guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
Bind them on your fingers;
    write them on the tablet of your heart.(C)
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
    and to insight, “You are my relative.”
They will keep you from the adulterous woman,
    from the wayward woman with her seductive words.(D)

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.(E)
He was going down the street near her corner,
    walking along in the direction of her house
at twilight,(F) 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(G) and defiant,
    her feet never stay at home;
12 now in the street, now in the squares,
    at every corner she lurks.)(H)
13 She took hold of him(I) and kissed him
    and with a brazen face she said:(J)

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

24 Now then, my sons, listen(S) to me;
    pay attention to what I say.
25 Do not let your heart turn to her ways
    or stray into her paths.(T)
26 Many are the victims she has brought down;
    her slain are a mighty throng.
27 Her house is a highway to the grave,
    leading down to the chambers of death.(U)

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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.

My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.

Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.

Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.

Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:

That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.

For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,

And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,

Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,

In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:

10 And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.

11 (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:

12 Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)

13 So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him,

14 I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.

15 Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.

16 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.

17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.

19 For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey:

20 He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed.

21 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.

22 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;

23 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.

24 Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.

25 Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.

26 For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.

27 Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.

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14 The mouth of a loose woman[a] is a deep pit;
    he with whom the Lord is angry falls into it.

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Footnotes

  1. 22.14 Heb strange woman

14 The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit;
    a man experiencing the Lord’s wrath will fall into it.

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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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14 The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein.

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20 This is the way of an adulteress:
    she eats and wipes her mouth
    and says, “I have done no wrong.”(A)

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20 This is what an immoral woman is like:
    she eats, wipes her mouth, then says
        “I’ve done nothing wrong.”

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20 “This is the way of an adulterous woman:
    She eats and wipes her mouth
    and says, ‘I’ve done nothing wrong.’(A)

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20 Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.

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