Proverbs 5
Modern English Version
Warning Against Adultery
5 My son, attend to my wisdom,
and bow your ear to my understanding,
2 that you may regard discretion,
and that your lips may keep knowledge.
3 For the lips of an immoral woman drip as a honeycomb,
and her mouth is smoother than oil.
4 But her end is bitter as wormwood,
sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death,
her steps take hold of Sheol.
6 She does not ponder the path of life;
her ways are unstable, and she does not know it.
7 Hear me now therefore, O 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 honor to others,
and your years to the cruel;
10 lest strangers be filled with your wealth,
and your labors go to the house of a stranger;
11 and you mourn at the last,
when your flesh and your body are consumed,
12 and say, “How I have hated instruction,
and my heart despised reproof!
13 And I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers,
nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me!
14 I was almost in utter ruin
in the midst of the congregation and assembly.”
15 Drink waters out of your own cistern,
and running waters out of your own well.
16 Should your fountains be dispersed abroad,
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 the wife of your youth.
19 Let her be as the loving deer and pleasant doe;
let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
and always be enraptured with her love.
20 Why should you, my son, be intoxicated by an immoral woman,
and embrace the bosom of a seductress?
21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord,
and He ponders all his goings.
22 His own iniquities entrap the wicked himself,
and he is snared in the cords of his sins.
23 He will die for lack of instruction,
and in the greatness of his folly he will go astray.
Proverbs 5
American Standard Version
5 My son, attend unto my wisdom;
Incline thine ear to my understanding:
2 That thou mayest preserve discretion,
And that thy lips may keep knowledge.
3 For the lips of a strange woman drop honey,
And her mouth is 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;
Her steps take hold on Sheol;
6 [a]So that she findeth not the level path of life:
Her ways are unstable, and [b]she knoweth it not.
7 Now therefore, my sons, hearken unto me,
And depart not from the words of my mouth.
8 Remove thy way far from her,
And come not nigh the door of her house;
9 Lest thou give thine honor unto others,
And thy years unto the cruel;
10 Lest strangers be filled with thy [c]strength,
And thy labors be in the house of an alien,
11 And thou [d]mourn at thy latter end,
When thy flesh and thy body are consumed,
12 And say, How have I hated instruction,
And my heart despised reproof;
13 Neither have I obeyed the voice of my teachers,
Nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!
14 I was well-nigh in all evil
In the midst of the assembly and congregation.
15 Drink waters out of thine own cistern,
And running waters out of thine own well.
16 [e]Should thy springs be dispersed abroad,
And streams of water in the streets?
17 Let them be for thyself alone,
And not for strangers with thee.
18 Let thy fountain be blessed;
And rejoice in the wife of thy youth.
19 As a loving hind and a pleasant doe,
Let her breasts satisfy thee at all times;
And [f]be thou ravished always with her love.
20 For why shouldest thou, my son, [g]be ravished with a strange woman,
And embrace the bosom of a foreigner?
21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of Jehovah;
And he [h]maketh level all his paths.
22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked,
And he shall be holden with the cords of his sin.
23 He shall die for lack of instruction;
And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 5:6 Or, Lest thou find the level etc. Or, Lest thou weigh carefully the path of life
- Proverbs 5:6 Or, thou canst not know them
- Proverbs 5:10 Or, wealth
- Proverbs 5:11 Or, groan
- Proverbs 5:16 Or, Let
- Proverbs 5:19 Hebrew go astray.
- Proverbs 5:20 Hebrew go astray.
- Proverbs 5:21 Or, weigheth carefully
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.
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