Proverbs 5:3-23
Christian Standard Bible
3 Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey
and her words are[a] smoother than oil,
4 in the end she’s as bitter as wormwood(A)
and as sharp as a double-edged sword.(B)
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps head straight for Sheol.(C)
6 She doesn’t consider the path of life;
she doesn’t know that her ways are unstable.
7 So now, sons, listen to me,
and don’t turn away from the words from my mouth.(D)
8 Keep your way far from her.
Don’t go near the door of her house.(E)
9 Otherwise, you will give up your vitality to others
and your years to someone cruel;
10 strangers will drain your resources,
and your hard-earned pay will end up in a foreigner’s house.
11 At the end of your life, you will lament
when your physical body has been consumed,
12 and you will say, “How I hated discipline,
and how my heart despised correction.(F)
13 I didn’t obey my teachers
or listen closely[b] to my instructors.
14 I am on the verge of complete ruin
before the entire community.”
Enjoy Marriage
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
water flowing from your own well.(G)
16 Should your springs flow in the streets,
streams in the public squares?(H)
17 They should be for you alone
and not for you to share with strangers.
18 Let your fountain be blessed,
and take pleasure in the wife of your youth.(I)
19 A loving deer, a graceful doe[c]—
let her breasts always satisfy you;(J)
be lost in her love forever.
20 Why, my son, would you lose yourself
with a forbidden woman
or embrace a wayward woman?(K)
21 For a man’s ways are before the Lord’s eyes,(L)
and he considers all his paths.(M)
22 A wicked man’s iniquities will trap him;(N)
he will become tangled in the ropes of his own sin.(O)
23 He will die because there is no discipline,(P)
and be lost because of his great stupidity.
Proverbs 5:3-23
English Standard Version
3 For the lips of (A)a forbidden[a] woman drip honey,
and her speech[b] is (B)smoother than oil,
4 but in the end she is (C)bitter as (D)wormwood,
(E)sharp as (F)a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet (G)go down to death;
her steps follow the path to[c] Sheol;
6 she (H)does not ponder the path of life;
her ways wander, and she does not know it.
7 And (I)now, O sons, listen to me,
and do not depart from the words of my mouth.
8 Keep 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 merciless,
10 lest strangers take their fill of your strength,
and your (J)labors go to the house of a foreigner,
11 and at the end of your life you (K)groan,
when your flesh and body are consumed,
12 and you say, (L)“How I hated discipline,
and my heart (M)despised reproof!
13 I did not listen to the voice of my teachers
or incline my ear to my instructors.
14 (N)I am at the brink of utter ruin
in the assembled congregation.”
15 Drink (O)water from your own cistern,
flowing water from your own well.
16 Should your (P)springs be scattered abroad,
streams of water (Q)in the streets?
17 (R)Let them be for yourself alone,
and not for strangers with you.
18 Let your (S)fountain be blessed,
and (T)rejoice in (U)the wife of your youth,
19 a lovely (V)deer, a graceful doe.
Let her breasts (W)fill you at all times with delight;
be intoxicated[d] always in her love.
20 Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with (X)a forbidden woman
and embrace the bosom of (Y)an adulteress?[e]
21 For (Z)a man's ways are (AA)before the eyes of the Lord,
and he (AB)ponders[f] all his paths.
22 The (AC)iniquities of the wicked (AD)ensnare him,
and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.
23 (AE)He dies for lack of discipline,
and because of his great folly he is (AF)led astray.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 5:3 Hebrew strange; also verse 20
- Proverbs 5:3 Hebrew palate
- Proverbs 5:5 Hebrew lay hold of
- Proverbs 5:19 Hebrew be led astray; also verse 20
- Proverbs 5:20 Hebrew a foreign woman
- Proverbs 5:21 Or makes level
Proverbs 6:20-35
Christian Standard Bible
Warning against Adultery
20 My son, keep your father’s command,
and don’t reject your mother’s teaching.(A)
21 Always bind them to your heart;
tie them around your neck.(B)
22 When you walk here and there, they will guide you;
when you lie down, they will watch over you;
when you wake up, they will talk to you.
23 For a command is a lamp, teaching is a light,(C)
and corrective discipline is the way to life.(D)
24 They will protect you from an evil woman,[a]
from the flattering tongue of a wayward woman.(E)
25 Don’t lust in your heart for her beauty(F)
or let her captivate you with her eyelashes.(G)
26 For a prostitute’s fee is only a loaf of bread,[b]
but the wife of another man[c] goes after a precious life.(H)
27 Can a man embrace fire
and his clothes not be burned?
28 Can a man walk on burning coals
without scorching his feet?
29 So it is with the one who sleeps with
another man’s wife;
no one who touches her will go unpunished.(I)
30 People don’t despise the thief if he steals
to satisfy himself when he is hungry.(J)
31 Still, if caught, he must pay seven times as much;(K)
he must give up all the wealth in his house.
32 The one who commits adultery[d] lacks sense;
whoever does so destroys himself.(L)
33 He will get a beating[e] and dishonor,
and his disgrace will never be removed.
34 For jealousy enrages a husband,(M)
and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.
35 He will not be appeased by anything
or be persuaded by lavish bribes.
Proverbs 6:20-35
English Standard Version
Warnings Against Adultery
20 (A)My son, keep your father's commandment,
(B)and forsake not your mother's teaching.
21 (C)Bind them on your heart always;
(D)tie them around your neck.
22 (E)When you walk, they[a] will lead you;
(F)when you lie down, they will (G)watch over you;
and when you awake, they will talk with you.
23 For the commandment is (H)a lamp and the teaching a light,
and the (I)reproofs of discipline are the way of life,
24 to preserve you from the evil woman,[b]
from the smooth tongue of (J)the adulteress.[c]
25 (K)Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
and do not let her capture you with her (L)eyelashes;
26 for (M)the price of a prostitute is only (N)a loaf of bread,[d]
but a married woman[e] (O)hunts down a precious life.
27 Can a man carry (P)fire next to his (Q)chest
and his clothes not be burned?
28 Or can one (R)walk on hot coals
and his feet not be scorched?
29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor's wife;
none who touches her (S)will go unpunished.
30 People do not despise a thief if he steals
to (T)satisfy his appetite when he is hungry,
31 but (U)if he is caught, he will pay (V)sevenfold;
he will give all the goods of his house.
32 He who commits adultery lacks sense;
he who does it destroys himself.
33 He will get wounds and dishonor,
and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
34 For (W)jealousy makes a man furious,
and he will not spare when (X)he takes revenge.
35 He will accept no compensation;
he will refuse though you multiply gifts.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 6:22 Hebrew it; three times in this verse
- Proverbs 6:24 Revocalization (compare Septuagint) yields from the wife of a neighbor
- Proverbs 6:24 Hebrew the foreign woman
- Proverbs 6:26 Or (compare Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate) for a prostitute leaves a man with nothing but a loaf of bread
- Proverbs 6:26 Hebrew a man's wife
Proverbs 7:4-27
Christian Standard Bible
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”(A)
and call understanding your relative.
5 She will keep you from a forbidden woman,
a wayward woman with her flattering talk.(B)
A Story of Seduction
6 At the window of my house
I looked through my lattice.(C)
7 I saw among the inexperienced,[a]
I noticed among the youths,
a young man lacking sense.
8 Crossing the street near her corner,
he strolled down the road to her house
9 at twilight, in the evening,
in the dark of the night.(D)
10 A woman came to meet him
dressed like a prostitute,(E)
having a hidden agenda.[b]
11 She is loud and defiant;(F)
her feet do not stay at home.(G)
12 Now in the street, now in the squares,(H)
she lurks at every corner.(I)
13 She grabs him and kisses him;
she brazenly says[c] to him,
14 “I’ve made fellowship offerings;
today I’ve fulfilled my vows.(J)
15 So I came out to meet you,
to search for you, and I’ve found you.
16 I’ve spread coverings on my bed(K)—
richly colored linen from Egypt.(L)
17 I’ve perfumed my bed
with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.(M)
18 Come, let’s drink deeply of lovemaking until morning.(N)
Let’s feast on each other’s love!
19 My husband isn’t home;
he went on a long journey.
20 He took a bag of silver with him
and will come home at the time of the full moon.”
21 She seduces him with her persistent pleading;
she lures with her flattering talk.
22 He follows her impulsively
like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer bounding toward a trap[d]
23 until an arrow pierces its[e] liver,(O)
like a bird darting into a snare(P)—
he doesn’t know it will cost him his life.
24 Now, sons, listen to me,
and pay attention to the words from my mouth.
25 Don’t let your heart turn aside to her ways;
don’t stray onto her paths.(Q)
26 For she has brought many down to death;
her victims are countless.[f]
27 Her house is the road to Sheol,
descending to the chambers of death.(R)
Proverbs 7:4-27
English Standard Version
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call insight your intimate friend,
5 to keep you from (A)the forbidden[a] woman,
from (B)the adulteress[b] with her smooth words.
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 22:14
Christian Standard Bible
14 The mouth of the forbidden woman is a deep pit;
a man cursed by the Lord will fall into it.(A)
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 23:26-28
Christian Standard Bible
26 My son, give me your heart,
and let your eyes observe my ways.
27 For a prostitute is a deep pit,(A)
and a wayward woman is a narrow well;
28 indeed, she sets an ambush like a robber(B)
and increases the number of unfaithful people.
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 30:20-23
Christian Standard Bible
20 This is the way of an adulteress:
she eats and wipes her mouth
and says, “I’ve done nothing wrong.”(A)
21 The earth trembles under three things;
it cannot bear up under four:
22 a servant when he becomes king,(B)
a fool when he is stuffed with food,
23 an unloved woman when she marries,(C)
and a servant girl when she ousts her queen.
Proverbs 30:20-23
English Standard Version
20 This is the way of an adulteress:
she eats and wipes her mouth
and says, “I have done no wrong.”
21 Under (A)three things (B)the earth trembles;
under (C)four it cannot bear up:
22 (D)a slave when he becomes king,
and a fool when he is (E)filled with food;
23 (F)an unloved woman when she (G)gets a husband,
and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress.
Proverbs 31:3
Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 31:3
English Standard Version
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
