The Peril of Adultery

My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
[a]Lend your ear to my understanding,
That you may [b]preserve discretion,
And your lips (A)may keep knowledge.
(B)For the lips of [c]an immoral woman drip honey,
And her mouth is (C)smoother than oil;
But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
Sharp as a two-edged sword.
Her feet go down to death,
(D)Her steps lay hold of [d]hell.
Lest you ponder her path of life—
Her ways are unstable;
You do not know them.

Therefore hear me now, my children,
And do not depart from the words of my mouth.
Remove your way far from her,
And do not go near the door of her house,
Lest you give your [e]honor to others,
And your years to the cruel one;
10 Lest aliens be filled with your [f]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,
[g]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 (E)the wife of your youth.
19 (F)As a loving deer and a graceful doe,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
And always be [h]enraptured with her love.
20 For why should you, my son, be enraptured by (G)an immoral woman,
And be embraced in the arms of a seductress?

21 (H)For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord,
And He [i]ponders all his paths.
22 (I)His own iniquities entrap the wicked man,
And he is caught in the cords of his sin.
23 (J)He shall die for lack of instruction,
And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

Dangerous Promises

My son, (K)if you become [j]surety for your friend,
If you have [k]shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,
You are snared by the words of your mouth;
You are taken by the words of your mouth.
So do this, my son, and deliver yourself;
For you have come into the hand of your friend:
Go and humble yourself;
Plead with your friend.
(L)Give no sleep to your eyes,
Nor slumber to your eyelids.
Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
And like a bird from the hand of the [l]fowler.

The Folly of Indolence

(M)Go to the ant, you sluggard!
Consider her ways and be wise,
Which, having no [m]captain,
Overseer or ruler,
Provides her [n]supplies in the summer,
And gathers her food in the harvest.
(N)How long will you [o]slumber, O sluggard?
When will you rise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep—
11 (O)So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,
And your need like an armed man.

The Wicked Man

12 A worthless person, a wicked man,
Walks with a perverse mouth;
13 (P)He winks with his eyes,
He [p]shuffles his feet,
He points with his fingers;
14 Perversity is in his heart,
(Q)He devises evil continually,
(R)He sows discord.
15 Therefore his calamity shall come (S)suddenly;
Suddenly he shall (T)be broken (U)without remedy.

16 These six things the Lord hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to [q]Him:
17 (V)A[r] proud look,
(W)A lying tongue,
(X)Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 (Y)A heart that devises wicked plans,
(Z)Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 (AA)A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who (AB)sows discord among brethren.

Beware of Adultery

20 (AC)My son, keep your father’s command,
And do not forsake the law of your mother.
21 (AD)Bind them continually upon your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
22 (AE)When you roam, [s]they will lead you;
When you sleep, (AF)they will keep you;
And when you awake, they will speak with you.
23 (AG)For the commandment is a lamp,
And the law a light;
Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,
24 (AH)To keep you from the evil woman,
From the flattering tongue of a seductress.
25 (AI)Do not lust after her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her allure you with her eyelids.
26 For (AJ)by means of a harlot
A man is reduced to a crust of bread;
(AK)And [t]an adulteress will (AL)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, (AM)he must restore sevenfold;
He may have to give up all the substance of his house.
32 Whoever commits adultery with a woman (AN)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 (AO)jealousy is a husband’s fury;
Therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35 He will [u]accept no recompense,
Nor will he be appeased though you give many gifts.

The Wiles of a Harlot

My son, keep my words,
And (AP)treasure my commands within you.
(AQ)Keep my commands and live,
(AR)And my law as the apple of your eye.
(AS)Bind them on your fingers;
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your nearest kin,
(AT)That they may keep you from the immoral woman,
From the seductress who flatters with her words.

The Crafty Harlot

For at the window of my house
I looked through my lattice,
And saw among the simple,
I perceived among the [v]youths,
A young man (AU)devoid[w] of understanding,
Passing along the street near her corner;
And he took the path to her house
(AV)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 (AW)She was loud and rebellious,
(AX)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 [x]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 (AY)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 [y]my husband is not at home;
He has gone on a long journey;
20 He has taken a bag of money [z]with him,
And will come home [aa]on the appointed day.”

21 [ab]With (AZ)her enticing speech she caused him to yield,
(BA)With her flattering lips she [ac]seduced him.
22 Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or [ad]as a fool to the correction of the [ae]stocks,
23 Till an arrow struck his liver.
(BB)As a bird hastens to the snare,
He did not know it [af]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 (BC)all who were slain by her were strong men.
27 (BD)Her house is the way to [ag]hell,
Descending to the chambers of death.

The Excellence of Wisdom

Does not (BE)wisdom cry out,
And understanding lift up her voice?
She takes her stand on the top of the [ah]high hill,
Beside the way, where the paths meet.
She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city,
At the entrance of the doors:
“To you, O men, I call,
And my voice is to the sons of men.
O you [ai]simple ones, understand prudence,
And you fools, be of an understanding heart.
Listen, for I will speak of (BF)excellent things,
And from the opening of my lips will come right things;
For my mouth will speak truth;
Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
All the words of my mouth are with righteousness;
Nothing crooked or perverse is in them.
They are all plain to him who understands,
And right to those who find knowledge.
10 Receive my instruction, and not silver,
And knowledge rather than choice gold;
11 (BG)For wisdom is better than rubies,
And all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.

12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
And find out knowledge and discretion.
13 (BH)The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
(BI)Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And (BJ)the perverse mouth I hate.
14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom;
I am understanding, (BK)I have strength.
15 (BL)By me kings reign,
And rulers decree justice.
16 By me princes rule, and nobles,
All the judges of [aj]the earth.
17 (BM)I love those who love me,
And (BN)those who seek me diligently will find me.
18 (BO)Riches and honor are with me,
Enduring riches and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold,
And my revenue than choice silver.
20 I [ak]traverse the way of righteousness,
In the midst of the paths of justice,
21 That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth,
That I may fill their treasuries.

22 “The(BP) Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way,
Before His works of old.
23 (BQ)I have been established from everlasting,
From the beginning, before there was ever an earth.
24 When there were no depths I was brought forth,
When there were no fountains abounding with water.
25 (BR)Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills, I was brought forth;
26 While as yet He had not made the earth or the [al]fields,
Or the [am]primal dust of the world.
27 When He prepared the heavens, I was there,
When He drew a circle on the face of the deep,
28 When He established the clouds above,
When He strengthened the fountains of the deep,
29 (BS)When He assigned to the sea its limit,
So that the waters would not transgress His command,
When (BT)He marked out the foundations of the earth,
30 (BU)Then I was beside Him as [an]a master craftsman;
(BV)And I was daily His delight,
Rejoicing always before Him,
31 Rejoicing in His inhabited world,
And (BW)my delight was with the sons of men.

32 “Now therefore, listen to me, my children,
For (BX)blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 Hear instruction and be wise,
And do not disdain it.
34 (BY)Blessed is the man who listens to me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at the posts of my doors.
35 For whoever finds me finds life,
And (BZ)obtains favor from the Lord;
36 But he who sins against me (CA)wrongs his own soul;
All those who hate me love death.”

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 5:1 Lit. Bow
  2. Proverbs 5:2 appreciate good judgment
  3. Proverbs 5:3 Lit. a strange
  4. Proverbs 5:5 Or Sheol
  5. Proverbs 5:9 vigor
  6. Proverbs 5:10 Lit. strength
  7. Proverbs 5:16 Channels
  8. Proverbs 5:19 Lit. intoxicated
  9. Proverbs 5:21 observes, lit. weighs
  10. Proverbs 6:1 guaranty or collateral
  11. Proverbs 6:1 Lit. struck
  12. Proverbs 6:5 One who catches birds in a trap or snare
  13. Proverbs 6:7 Lit. leader
  14. Proverbs 6:8 Lit. bread
  15. Proverbs 6:9 Lit. lie down
  16. Proverbs 6:13 gives signals, lit. scrapes
  17. Proverbs 6:16 Lit. His soul
  18. Proverbs 6:17 Lit. Haughty eyes
  19. Proverbs 6:22 Lit. it
  20. Proverbs 6:26 Wife of another, lit. a man’s wife
  21. Proverbs 6:35 Lit. lift up the face of any
  22. Proverbs 7:7 Lit. sons
  23. Proverbs 7:7 lacking
  24. Proverbs 7:13 shameless
  25. Proverbs 7:19 Lit. the man
  26. Proverbs 7:20 Lit. in his hand
  27. Proverbs 7:20 at the full moon
  28. Proverbs 7:21 By the greatness of her words
  29. Proverbs 7:21 compelled
  30. Proverbs 7:22 LXX, Syr., Tg. as a dog to bonds; Vg. as a lamb . . . to bonds
  31. Proverbs 7:22 shackles
  32. Proverbs 7:23 Lit. is for
  33. Proverbs 7:27 Or Sheol
  34. Proverbs 8:2 Lit. heights
  35. Proverbs 8:5 naive
  36. Proverbs 8:16 MT, Syr., Tg., Vg. righteousness; LXX, Bg., some mss. and editions earth
  37. Proverbs 8:20 walk about on
  38. Proverbs 8:26 outer places
  39. Proverbs 8:26 Lit. beginning of the dust
  40. Proverbs 8:30 A Jewish tradition one brought up

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)

Warnings Against Folly

My son,(W) if you have put up security(X) for your neighbor,(Y)
    if you have shaken hands in pledge(Z) for a stranger,
you have been trapped by what you said,
    ensnared by the words of your mouth.
So do this, my son, to free yourself,
    since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands:
Go—to the point of exhaustion—[b]
    and give your neighbor no rest!
Allow no sleep to your eyes,
    no slumber to your eyelids.(AA)
Free yourself, like a gazelle(AB) from the hand of the hunter,(AC)
    like a bird from the snare of the fowler.(AD)

Go to the ant, you sluggard;(AE)
    consider its ways and be wise!
It has no commander,
    no overseer or ruler,
yet it stores its provisions in summer(AF)
    and gathers its food at harvest.(AG)

How long will you lie there, you sluggard?(AH)
    When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest(AI)
11 and poverty(AJ) will come on you like a thief
    and scarcity like an armed man.

12 A troublemaker and a villain,
    who goes about with a corrupt mouth,
13     who winks maliciously with his eye,(AK)
    signals with his feet
    and motions with his fingers,(AL)
14     who plots evil(AM) with deceit in his heart—
    he always stirs up conflict.(AN)
15 Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant;(AO)
    he will suddenly(AP) be destroyed—without remedy.(AQ)

16 There are six things the Lord hates,(AR)
    seven that are detestable to him:
17         haughty eyes,(AS)
        a lying tongue,(AT)
        hands that shed innocent blood,(AU)
18         a heart that devises wicked schemes,
        feet that are quick to rush into evil,(AV)
19         a false witness(AW) who pours out lies(AX)
        and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.(AY)

Warning Against Adultery

20 My son,(AZ) keep your father’s command
    and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.(BA)
21 Bind them always on your heart;
    fasten them around your neck.(BB)
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,(BC)
and correction and instruction
    are the way to life,(BD)
24 keeping you from your neighbor’s wife,
    from the smooth talk of a wayward woman.(BE)

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.(BF)
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(BG) with another man’s wife;(BH)
    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,(BI)
    though it costs him all the wealth of his house.
32 But a man who commits adultery(BJ) has no sense;(BK)
    whoever does so destroys himself.
33 Blows and disgrace are his lot,
    and his shame will never(BL) be wiped away.

34 For jealousy(BM) arouses a husband’s fury,(BN)
    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.(BO)

Warning Against the Adulterous Woman

My son,(BP) keep my words
    and store up my commands within you.
Keep my commands and you will live;(BQ)
    guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
Bind them on your fingers;
    write them on the tablet of your heart.(BR)
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.(BS)

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.(BT)
He was going down the street near her corner,
    walking along in the direction of her house
at twilight,(BU) 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(BV) and defiant,
    her feet never stay at home;
12 now in the street, now in the squares,
    at every corner she lurks.)(BW)
13 She took hold of him(BX) and kissed him
    and with a brazen face she said:(BY)

14 “Today I fulfilled my vows,
    and I have food from my fellowship offering(BZ) 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(CA)
    with myrrh,(CB) aloes and cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning;
    let’s enjoy ourselves with love!(CC)
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.(CD)
22 All at once he followed her
    like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer[c] stepping into a noose[d](CE)
23     till an arrow pierces(CF) his liver,
like a bird darting into a snare,
    little knowing it will cost him his life.(CG)

24 Now then, my sons, listen(CH) to me;
    pay attention to what I say.
25 Do not let your heart turn to her ways
    or stray into her paths.(CI)
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.(CJ)

Wisdom’s Call

Does not wisdom call out?(CK)
    Does not understanding raise her voice?
At the highest point along the way,
    where the paths meet, she takes her stand;
beside the gate leading into the city,
    at the entrance, she cries aloud:(CL)
“To you, O people, I call out;(CM)
    I raise my voice to all mankind.
You who are simple,(CN) gain prudence;(CO)
    you who are foolish, set your hearts on it.[e]
Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say;
    I open my lips to speak what is right.
My mouth speaks what is true,(CP)
    for my lips detest wickedness.
All the words of my mouth are just;
    none of them is crooked or perverse.
To the discerning all of them are right;
    they are upright to those who have found knowledge.
10 Choose my instruction instead of silver,
    knowledge rather than choice gold,(CQ)
11 for wisdom is more precious(CR) than rubies,
    and nothing you desire can compare with her.(CS)

12 “I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;
    I possess knowledge and discretion.(CT)
13 To fear the Lord(CU) is to hate evil;(CV)
    I hate(CW) pride and arrogance,
    evil behavior and perverse speech.
14 Counsel and sound judgment are mine;
    I have insight, I have power.(CX)
15 By me kings reign
    and rulers(CY) issue decrees that are just;
16 by me princes govern,(CZ)
    and nobles—all who rule on earth.[f]
17 I love those who love me,(DA)
    and those who seek me find me.(DB)
18 With me are riches and honor,(DC)
    enduring wealth and prosperity.(DD)
19 My fruit is better than fine gold;(DE)
    what I yield surpasses choice silver.(DF)
20 I walk in the way of righteousness,(DG)
    along the paths of justice,
21 bestowing a rich inheritance on those who love me
    and making their treasuries full.(DH)

22 “The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works,[g][h]
    before his deeds of old;
23 I was formed long ages ago,
    at the very beginning, when the world came to be.
24 When there were no watery depths, I was given birth,
    when there were no springs overflowing with water;(DI)
25 before the mountains were settled in place,(DJ)
    before the hills, I was given birth,(DK)
26 before he made the world or its fields
    or any of the dust of the earth.(DL)
27 I was there when he set the heavens in place,(DM)
    when he marked out the horizon(DN) on the face of the deep,
28 when he established the clouds above(DO)
    and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,(DP)
29 when he gave the sea its boundary(DQ)
    so the waters would not overstep his command,(DR)
and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.(DS)
30     Then I was constantly[i] at his side.(DT)
I was filled with delight day after day,
    rejoicing always in his presence,
31 rejoicing in his whole world
    and delighting in mankind.(DU)

32 “Now then, my children, listen(DV) to me;
    blessed are(DW) those who keep my ways.(DX)
33 Listen to my instruction and be wise;
    do not disregard it.
34 Blessed are those who listen(DY) to me,
    watching daily at my doors,
    waiting at my doorway.
35 For those who find me(DZ) find life(EA)
    and receive favor from the Lord.(EB)
36 But those who fail to find me harm themselves;(EC)
    all who hate me love death.”(ED)

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 5:9 Or years
  2. Proverbs 6:3 Or Go and humble yourself,
  3. Proverbs 7:22 Syriac (see also Septuagint); Hebrew fool
  4. Proverbs 7:22 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
  5. Proverbs 8:5 Septuagint; Hebrew foolish, instruct your minds
  6. Proverbs 8:16 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; other Hebrew manuscripts all righteous rulers
  7. Proverbs 8:22 Or way; or dominion
  8. Proverbs 8:22 Or The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work; or The Lord brought me forth at the beginning of his work
  9. Proverbs 8:30 Or was the artisan; or was a little child