Proverbs 5:3-23
New King James Version
3 (A)For the lips of [a]an immoral woman drip honey,
And her mouth is (B)smoother than oil;
4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
Sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death,
(C)Her steps lay hold of [b]hell.
6 Lest you ponder her path of life—
Her ways are unstable;
You do not know them.
7 Therefore hear me now, my children,
And do not depart from the words of my mouth.
8 Remove your way far from her,
And do not go near the door of her house,
9 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?
21 (G)For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord,
And He [g]ponders all his paths.
22 (H)His own iniquities entrap the wicked man,
And he is caught in the cords of his sin.
23 (I)He shall die for lack of instruction,
And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 5:3 Lit. a strange
- Proverbs 5:5 Or Sheol
- Proverbs 5:9 vigor
- Proverbs 5:10 Lit. strength
- Proverbs 5:16 Channels
- Proverbs 5:19 Lit. intoxicated
- Proverbs 5:21 observes, lit. weighs
Proverbs 6:20-35
New King James Version
Beware of Adultery
20 (A)My son, keep your father’s command,
And do not forsake the law of your mother.
21 (B)Bind them continually upon your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
22 (C)When you roam, [a]they will lead you;
When you sleep, (D)they will keep you;
And when you awake, they will speak with you.
23 (E)For the commandment is a lamp,
And the law a light;
Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,
24 (F)To keep you from the evil woman,
From the flattering tongue of a seductress.
25 (G)Do not lust after her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her allure you with her eyelids.
26 For (H)by means of a harlot
A man is reduced to a crust of bread;
(I)And [b]an adulteress will (J)prey upon his precious life.
27 Can a man take fire to his bosom,
And his clothes not be burned?
28 Can one walk on hot coals,
And his feet not be seared?
29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her shall not be innocent.
30 People do not despise a thief
If he steals to satisfy himself when he is starving.
31 Yet when he is found, (K)he must restore sevenfold;
He may have to give up all the substance of his house.
32 Whoever commits adultery with a woman (L)lacks understanding;
He who does so destroys his own soul.
33 Wounds and dishonor he will get,
And his reproach will not be wiped away.
34 For (M)jealousy is a husband’s fury;
Therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35 He will [c]accept no recompense,
Nor will he be appeased though you give many gifts.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 6:22 Lit. it
- Proverbs 6:26 Wife of another, lit. a man’s wife
- Proverbs 6:35 Lit. lift up the face of any
Proverbs 7:4-27
New King James Version
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your nearest kin,
5 (A)That they may keep you from the immoral woman,
From the seductress who flatters with her words.
The Crafty Harlot
6 For at the window of my house
I looked through my lattice,
7 And saw among the simple,
I perceived among the [a]youths,
A young man (B)devoid[b] of understanding,
8 Passing along the street near her corner;
And he took the path to her house
9 (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.
24 Now therefore, listen to me, my children;
Pay attention to the words of my mouth:
25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths;
26 For she has cast down many wounded,
And (J)all who were slain by her were strong men.
27 (K)Her house is the way to [l]hell,
Descending to the chambers of death.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 7:7 Lit. sons
- Proverbs 7:7 lacking
- Proverbs 7:13 shameless
- Proverbs 7:19 Lit. the man
- Proverbs 7:20 Lit. in his hand
- Proverbs 7:20 at the full moon
- Proverbs 7:21 By the greatness of her words
- Proverbs 7:21 compelled
- Proverbs 7:22 LXX, Syr., Tg. as a dog to bonds; Vg. as a lamb . . . to bonds
- Proverbs 7:22 shackles
- Proverbs 7:23 Lit. is for
- Proverbs 7:27 Or Sheol
Proverbs 22:14
New King James Version
14 (A)The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit;
(B)He who is abhorred by the Lord will fall there.
Proverbs 23:26-28
New King James Version
26 My son, give me your heart,
And let your eyes observe my ways.
27 (A)For a harlot is a deep pit,
And a seductress is a narrow well.
28 (B)She also lies in wait as for a victim,
And increases the unfaithful among men.
Proverbs 30:20-23
New King James Version
20 This is the way of an adulterous woman:
She eats and wipes her mouth,
And says, “I have done no wickedness.”
21 For three things the earth is perturbed,
Yes, for four it cannot bear up:
22 (A)For a servant when he reigns,
A fool when he is filled with food,
23 A [a]hateful woman when she is married,
And a maidservant who succeeds her mistress.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 30:23 Or hated
Proverbs 31:3
New King James Version
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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