Proverbs 2:16
English Standard Version
16 So (A)you will be delivered from the forbidden[a] woman,
from (B)the adulteress[b] with (C)her smooth words,
Footnotes
- Proverbs 2:16 Hebrew strange
- Proverbs 2:16 Hebrew foreign woman
Proverbs 2:16
International Standard Version
16 delivering you from the adulteress,
from the immoral[a] woman with her seductive words,
Footnotes
- Proverbs 2:16 Lit. foreign; i.e. one whose values are foreign to God’s Law
Proverbs 5:3
English Standard Version
Footnotes
- Proverbs 5:3 Hebrew strange; also verse 20
- Proverbs 5:3 Hebrew palate
Proverbs 5:3
International Standard Version
3 For the lips of an adulteress drip honey,
and her speech[a] is smoother than oil.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 5:3 Lit. palate
Proverbs 5:20
English Standard Version
20 Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with (A)a forbidden woman
and embrace the bosom of (B)an adulteress?[a]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 5:20 Hebrew a foreign woman
Proverbs 5:20
International Standard Version
20 Why should you be intoxicated by an adulteress, my son,
and embrace the bosom of a foreign woman?
Proverbs 7:5-27
English Standard Version
6 For at (C)the window of my house
I have looked out through my lattice,
7 and I have seen among (D)the simple,
I have perceived among the youths,
a young man (E)lacking sense,
8 passing along the street (F)near her corner,
taking the road to her house
9 in (G)the twilight, in the evening,
at (H)the time of night and darkness.
10 And behold, the woman meets him,
(I)dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.[c]
11 She is (J)loud and (K)wayward;
(L)her feet do not stay at home;
12 now in the street, now in the market,
and (M)at every corner she (N)lies in wait.
13 She seizes him and kisses him,
and with (O)bold face she says to him,
14 “I had to (P)offer sacrifices,[d]
and today I have (Q)paid my vows;
15 so now I have come out to meet you,
to seek you eagerly, and I have found you.
16 I have spread my couch with (R)coverings,
colored linens from (S)Egyptian linen;
17 I have perfumed my bed with (T)myrrh,
aloes, and (U)cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love till morning;
let us delight ourselves with love.
19 For (V)my husband is not at home;
he has gone on a long journey;
20 he took a bag of money with him;
at full moon he will come home.”
21 With much seductive speech she persuades him;
with (W)her smooth talk she compels him.
22 All at once he follows her,
as an ox goes to the slaughter,
or as a stag is caught fast[e]
23 till an arrow pierces its liver;
as (X)a bird rushes into a snare;
he does not know that it will cost him his life.
24 And (Y)now, O sons, listen to me,
and be attentive to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not your heart turn aside to her ways;
do not stray into her paths,
26 for many a victim has she laid low,
and all her slain are (Z)a mighty throng.
27 Her house is (AA)the way to Sheol,
going down to the chambers of death.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 7:5 Hebrew strange
- Proverbs 7:5 Hebrew the foreign woman
- Proverbs 7:10 Hebrew guarded in heart
- Proverbs 7:14 Hebrew peace offerings
- Proverbs 7:22 Probable reading (compare Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac); Hebrew as a chain to discipline a fool
Proverbs 7:5-27
International Standard Version
5 so they can keep you from an adulterous woman,
from the immoral woman with her seductive words.
A Father’s Warning
6 For from a window in my house
I peered through the lattice work,
7 and I noticed among the naïve—
that is, I discerned among the youths—
a senseless young man.
8 Proceeding down the street near her corner,
he makes his way toward her house
9 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[a] 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[b]
23 until an arrow pierces his liver.
As a bird darts into a snare,
he doesn’t realize his fatal decision.[c]
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,[d]
and don’t imitate her behavior.[e]
26 For many are the victims whom she has conquered,
and many are her slain.
27 Her house leads to Sheol,[f]
descending to death’s catacombs.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 7:14 The Heb. lacks given
- Proverbs 7:22 So MT; LXX reads a dog fit for chains
- Proverbs 7:23 Lit. realize it is his life
- Proverbs 7:25 Lit. ways
- Proverbs 7:25 Lit. paths
- Proverbs 7:27 I.e. the realm of the dead
Proverbs 22:14
English Standard Version
14 The mouth of (A)forbidden[a] women is (B)a deep pit;
(C)he with whom the Lord is angry will fall into it.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 22:14 Hebrew strange
Proverbs 22:14
International Standard Version
14 The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit;
a man experiencing the Lord’s wrath will fall into it.
Proverbs 23:26-28
English Standard Version
26 My son, give me your heart,
and let your eyes observe[a] my ways.
27 For a prostitute is (A)a deep pit;
(B)an adulteress[b] is a narrow (C)well.
28 (D)She lies in wait like a robber
and increases the traitors among mankind.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 23:26 Or delight in
- Proverbs 23:27 Hebrew a foreign woman
Proverbs 23:26-28
International Standard Version
26 Give me your heart, my son,
and keep your eyes fixed on my ways,
27 because a prostitute is a deep pit,
and the adulterous[a] woman a narrow well.
28 Surely she lies in wait like a bandit,
increasing those who are faithless among mankind.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 23:27 Lit. foreign
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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