Proverbs 5
Amplified Bible
Pitfalls of Immorality
5 My son, be attentive to my wisdom [godly wisdom learned by costly experience],
Incline your ear to my understanding;(A)
2
That you may exercise discrimination and discretion (good judgment),
And your lips may reserve knowledge and answer wisely [to temptation].
3
For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey [like a honeycomb]
And her speech is smoother than oil;(B)
4
But in the end she is bitter like [the extract of] wormwood,
Sharp as a two-edged sword.
5
Her feet go down to death;
Her steps take hold of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead),
6
So that she does not think [seriously] about the path of life;
Her ways are aimless and unstable; you cannot know where her path leads.
7
Now then, my sons, listen to me
And do not depart from (forget) the words of my mouth.
8
Let your way [in life] be far from her,
And do not go near the door of her house [avoid even being near the places of temptation],(C)
9
Or you will give your honor to others,
And your years to the cruel one,
10
And strangers will be filled with your strength
And your hard-earned wealth will go to the house of a foreigner [who does not know God];
11
And you will groan when your life is ending,
When your flesh and your body are consumed;
12
And you say, “How I hated instruction and discipline,
And my heart despised correction and reproof!
13
“I have not listened to the voice of my teachers,
Nor have I inclined my ear to those who instructed me.
14
“I was almost in total ruin
In the midst of the assembly and congregation.”
15
[a]Drink water from your own [b]cistern [of a pure marriage relationship]
And fresh running water from your own well.
16
Should your [c]springs (children) be dispersed,
As streams of water in the streets?
17
[Confine yourself to your own wife.] Let your children be yours alone,
And not the children of strangers with you.
18
Let your fountain (wife) be blessed [with the rewards of fidelity],
And rejoice in the wife of your youth.(D)
19
Let her be as a loving hind and graceful doe,
Let her breasts refresh and satisfy you at all times;
Always be [d]exhilarated and delight in her love.
20
Why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an immoral woman
And embrace the bosom of an outsider (pagan)?
21
For the ways of man are directly before the eyes of the Lord,
And He carefully watches all of his paths [all of his comings and goings].(E)
22
The iniquities done by a wicked man will trap him,
And he will be held with the cords of his sin.
23
He will die for lack of instruction (discipline),
And in the greatness of his foolishness he will go astray and be lost.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 5:15 All of the Ten Commandments are reflected in the book of Proverbs; here it is the seventh, “You shall not commit adultery.”
- Proverbs 5:15 Vv 15-18 describe the purity of a man’s relationship in marriage. The cistern and well represent his wife.
- Proverbs 5:16 I.e. children of one’s promiscuity who are fatherless.
- Proverbs 5:19 Lit stagger (with passion).
Proverbs 5
New American Standard Bible
Pitfalls of Immorality
5 My son, (A)pay attention to my wisdom,
(B)Incline your ear to my understanding,
2 So that you may (C)maintain discretion
And your (D)lips may comply with knowledge.
3 For the lips of an [a](E)adulteress (F)drip honey,
And her [b]speech is (G)smoother than oil;
4 But in the end she is (H)bitter as wormwood,
(I)Sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet (J)go down to death,
Her steps take hold of Sheol.
6 [c]She does not ponder the (K)path of life;
Her ways are (L)unstable, she (M)does not know it.
7 (N)Now then, my sons, listen to me
And (O)do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
8 (P)Keep your way far from her,
And do not go near the (Q)door of her house,
9 Otherwise you will give your vigor to others,
And your years to the cruel one;
10 And strangers will be filled with your strength,
And your hard-earned possessions will go to the house of a foreigner;
11 And you will groan [d]in [e]the end,
When your flesh and your body are consumed;
12 And you say, “How I (R)hated instruction!
And my heart (S)disdainfully rejected rebuke!
13 I did not listen to the voice of my (T)teachers,
Nor incline my ear to my instructors!
14 I was almost in total ruin
In the midst of the assembly and congregation.”
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
And [f]fresh water from your own well.
16 Should your (U)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 (V)fountain be blessed,
And (W)rejoice in the (X)wife of your youth.
19 Like a loving (Y)doe and a graceful mountain goat,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
Be [g]exhilarated always with her love.
20 For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an [h](Z)adulteress,
And embrace the breasts of a (AA)foreigner?
21 For the (AB)ways of everyone are before the eyes of the Lord,
And He (AC)observes all his paths.
22 His (AD)own wrongdoings will trap the wicked,
And he will be held by the ropes of his sin.
23 He will (AE)die for lack of instruction,
And in the greatness of his foolishness he will go astray.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 5:3 Lit strange woman
- Proverbs 5:3 Lit palate
- Proverbs 5:6 Lit That she not watch
- Proverbs 5:11 Or at
- Proverbs 5:11 Lit your end
- Proverbs 5:15 Lit flowing
- Proverbs 5:19 Lit intoxicated
- Proverbs 5:20 Lit strange woman
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