Proverbs 5:3-23
Holman 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, my sons, listen to me,
and don’t turn away from the words of 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 earnings 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 mentors.
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 of water 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 doe, a graceful fawn—
let her breasts always satisfy you;(J)
be lost in her love forever.
20 Why, my son, would you be infatuated
with a forbidden woman
or embrace the breast of a stranger?(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 entrap him;(N)
he is entangled 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.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 5:3 Lit her palate is
- Proverbs 5:13 Lit or turn my ear
Proverbs 5:3-23
International Standard Version
3 For the lips of an adulteress drip honey,
and her speech[a] is smoother than oil.
4 But in the end she is as bitter as wormwood,[b]
and as sharp as a double-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead to Sheol.[c]
6 You aren’t thinking about[d] where her life is headed;
her steps wander, but you do not realize[e] it.
7 Now, children,[f] listen to me.
Don’t turn away from what I am saying.[g]
8 Keep[h] far away from her,
and don’t go near the entrance to her house,
9 so that you don’t give your honor to others,
and waste your best years;[i]
10 so that strangers don’t enrich themselves at your expense,[j]
and your work won’t end up the possession of foreigners.[k]
11 You will cry out in anguish when your end comes,
when your flesh and body are consumed,
12 and you will say, “How I hated instruction,[l]
and my heart rejected correction!
13 I did not obey my teachers
and did not listen[m] to my instructors.
14 Now I am at the point of utter disaster
in[n] the assembly and in the congregation.”
The Delights of Marital Faithfulness
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
and fresh[o] water from your own well.
16 Should your springs flow outside,
or streams of water in the street?
17 They should be for you alone
and not for strangers who are with you.
18 Let your fountain be blessed
and enjoy the wife of your youth.
19 Like a loving deer, a beautiful doe,
let her breasts satisfy you all the time.
Be constantly intoxicated by her love.
20 Why should you be intoxicated by an adulteress, my son,
and embrace the bosom of a foreign woman?
21 Indeed, what a man does is[p] always in the Lord’s presence,[q]
and he weighs all his paths.
22 The wicked person’s iniquities will capture him,
and he will be held with the cords of his sin.
23 He will die for lack of discipline,
and he goes astray because of his great folly.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 5:3 Lit. palate
- Proverbs 5:4 Wormwood is a plant with an extremely bitter taste.
- Proverbs 5:5 I.e. the realm of the dead
- Proverbs 5:6 Or She does not consider
- Proverbs 5:6 Or she does not realize
- Proverbs 5:7 Or sons
- Proverbs 5:7 Lit. from the words of my mouth
- Proverbs 5:8 Lit. Keep your path
- Proverbs 5:9 Lit. and your years to the cruel
- Proverbs 5:10 Lit. don’t satisfy themselves with your strength
- Proverbs 5:10 Lit. won’t go into a foreigner’s house
- Proverbs 5:12 Or discipline
- Proverbs 5:13 Lit. incline my ear
- Proverbs 5:14 Lit. in the midst of
- Proverbs 5:15 Lit. flowing
- Proverbs 5:21 Lit. Indeed, a man’s ways are
- Proverbs 5:21 Lit. in front of the Lord’s eyes
Proverbs 6:20-35
Holman 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[b] tongue of a stranger.(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,[c]
but an adulteress[d] goes after a precious life.(H)
27 Can a man embrace fire[e]
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[f] lacks sense;
whoever does so destroys himself.(L)
33 He will get a beating[g] 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 gifts.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 6:24 LXX reads from a married woman
- Proverbs 6:24 Lit smooth
- Proverbs 6:26 Or On account of a prostitute, [one is left with] only a loaf of bread
- Proverbs 6:26 Lit but a wife of a man
- Proverbs 6:27 Lit man take fire to his bosom
- Proverbs 6:32 Lit commits adultery with a woman
- Proverbs 6:33 Or plague
Proverbs 6:20-35
International Standard Version
Parental Counsel about Immorality
20 Keep your father’s commands, my son,
and never forsake your mother’s rules,[a]
21 by binding them to your heart continuously,
fastening them around your neck.
22 During your travels wisdom[b] will lead you;
she will watch over you while you rest;
and when you are startled from your sleep,
she will commune with you.
23 Because the command is a lamp
and the Law a light,
rebukes that discipline are a way of life—
24 to protect you from the evil[c] woman,
from the words of the seductive woman.
25 Do not focus on her beauty in your mind,
nor allow her to take you prisoner with her flirting eyes,
26 because the price of a whore is a loaf of bread,
and an adulterous woman stalks a man’s precious life.
27 Can a man scoop fire into his bosom
without burning his clothes?
28 Can a man walk on hot coals
without scorching his feet?
29 So also is it with someone who has sex with his neighbor’s wife;
anyone touching her will not remain unpunished.
30 A thief isn’t despised
if he steals to meet his needs[d] when he is hungry,
31 but when he is discovered,
he must restore seven-fold,
forfeiting the entire value of his house.
32 Whoever commits adultery with a woman is out of his mind;
by doing so he corrupts his own soul.
33 He will receive a beating and dishonor,
and his shame won’t disappear,
34 because jealousy incites[e] a strong man’s rage,
and he will show no mercy when it’s time for revenge.
35 He will not consider any payment,
nor will he be willing to accept it,[f]
no matter how large the bribe.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 6:20 Or laws
- Proverbs 6:22 Lit. wisdom; i.e. wisdom personified as a woman
- Proverbs 6:24 So MT; LXX reads married
- Proverbs 6:30 Lit. to refresh his soul
- Proverbs 6:34 The Heb. lacks incites
- Proverbs 6:35 The Heb. lacks to accept it
Proverbs 7:4-27
Holman 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 stranger 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;[d]
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 money 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[e] talk.
22 He follows her impulsively
like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer bounding toward a trap[f]
23 until an arrow pierces its[g] liver,(O)
like a bird darting into a snare(P)—
he doesn’t know it will cost him his life.
24 Now, my sons, listen to me,
and pay attention to the words of 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.[h]
27 Her house is the road to Sheol,
descending to the chambers of death.(R)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 7:7 Or simple, or gullible, or naive
- Proverbs 7:10 Or prostitute with a guarded heart
- Proverbs 7:13 Lit she makes her face strong and says
- Proverbs 7:14 Meat from a fellowship offering had to be eaten on the day it was offered; therefore she is inviting him to a feast at her house.
- Proverbs 7:21 Lit smooth
- Proverbs 7:22 Text emended; MT reads like a shackle to the discipline of a fool; Hb obscure
- Proverbs 7:23 Or his
- Proverbs 7:26 Or and powerful men are all her victims
Proverbs 7:4-27
International Standard Version
4 Say to wisdom, “You’re my sister!”
and call understanding your close relative,
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
Holman 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
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
Holman 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 stranger is a narrow well;
28 indeed, she sets an ambush like a robber(B)
and increases those among men who are unfaithful.
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
Proverbs 30:20-23
Holman 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
International Standard Version
20 This is what an immoral woman is like:
she eats, wipes her mouth, then says
“I’ve done nothing wrong.”
21 Under three things the earth trembles,
under four it cannot remain steady:
22 Under a slave when he becomes a king,
a fool when he is overfed,
23 an unloved woman when she finds a husband,
and a servant girl who inherits from her mistress.
Proverbs 31:3
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 31:3
International Standard Version
Footnotes
- Proverbs 31:3 Lit. women
- Proverbs 31:3 Lit. ways
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