Proverbs 5:3-23
Legacy Standard Bible
3 For the lips of a (A)strange woman (B)drip honey
And (C)smoother than oil is her [a]speech;
4 But her end is (D)bitter as wormwood,
(E)Sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet (F)go down to death,
Her steps take hold of Sheol,
6 Lest she watch the (G)path of life;
Her tracks are (H)unstable, she (I)does not know it.
7 (J)So now, my sons, listen to me
And (K)do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
8 (L)Keep your way far from her
And do not go near the (M)door of her house,
9 Lest you give your splendor to others
And your years to the cruel one;
10 Lest strangers be satisfied by your strength
And by your painful labor, those in the house of a foreigner;
11 And you groan at your [b]end,
When your flesh and your body are consumed;
12 And you say, “How I have (N)hated discipline!
And my heart (O)spurned reproof!
13 I have not listened to the voice of my (P)instructors,
And I have not inclined my ear to my teachers!
14 I was almost in utter ruin
In the midst of the assembly and congregation.”
15 Drink water from your own cistern
And [c]fresh water from your own well.
16 Should your (Q)springs be dispersed abroad,
Streams of water in the streets?
17 Let them be for you alone,
And not for strangers with you.
18 Let your (R)fountain be blessed,
And (S)be glad in the (T)wife of your youth.
19 As a loving (U)hind and a graceful doe,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
Be [d]intoxicated always with her love.
20 So why should you, my son, be intoxicated with a (V)strange woman
And embrace the bosom of a (W)foreign woman?
21 For the (X)ways of a man are before the eyes of Yahweh,
And He (Y)watches all his tracks.
22 His (Z)own iniquities will capture him who is the wicked one,
And with the cords of his sin he will be held fast.
23 He will (AA)die for lack of discipline,
And in the abundance of his [e]folly he will [f]stumble in intoxication.
Notas al pie
- Proverbs 5:3 Lit palate
- Proverbs 5:11 Or latter
- Proverbs 5:15 Lit flowing
- Proverbs 5:19 Or exhilarated
- Proverbs 5:23 A lack of wisdom due to negligence or carelessness; the activity of an ignorant fool
- Proverbs 5:23 Or go astray
Proverbs 5:3-23
American Standard Version
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.
Notas al pie
- 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
Proverbs 6:20-35
Legacy Standard Bible
Warning Against Adultery
20 (A)My son, observe the commandment of your father
And do not abandon the [a]law of your mother;
21 (B)Bind them continually on your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
22 When you (C)walk about, [b]they will lead you;
When you sleep, [c]they will keep watch over you;
And when you awake, [d]they will speak to you.
23 For (D)the commandment is a lamp and the [e]law is light;
And reproofs for discipline are the way of life
24 To (E)keep you from the evil woman,
From the smooth tongue of the foreign woman.
25 (F)Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her capture you with her (G)eyelids.
26 For (H)on account of [f]a harlot one is reduced to a loaf of bread,
And [g]an adulteress (I)hunts for the precious [h]life.
27 Can a man [i]take fire in his bosom
And his clothes not be burned?
28 Or can a man walk on hot coals
And his feet not be scorched?
29 So is the one who (J)goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her (K)will not [j]go unpunished.
30 [k]Men do not despise a thief if he steals
To (L)fill [l]himself when he is hungry;
31 But when he is found, he must (M)repay sevenfold;
He must give all the [m]substance of his house.
32 The one who commits adultery with a woman is (N)lacking a heart of wisdom;
He who would (O)destroy his soul does it.
33 Wounds and disgrace he will find,
And his reproach will not be blotted out.
34 For (P)jealousy [n]enrages a man,
And he will not spare in the (Q)day of vengeance.
35 He will not [o]accept any ransom,
He will not be willing though you give many bribes.
Notas al pie
- Proverbs 6:20 Or instruction
- Proverbs 6:22 Lit she
- Proverbs 6:22 Lit she
- Proverbs 6:22 Lit she
- Proverbs 6:23 Or instruction
- Proverbs 6:26 Or a woman who is a harlot
- Proverbs 6:26 Or a woman of another man
- Proverbs 6:26 Lit soul
- Proverbs 6:27 Lit snatch up
- Proverbs 6:29 Lit be innocent
- Proverbs 6:30 Or Do not men...?; lit They do not
- Proverbs 6:30 Lit his soul
- Proverbs 6:31 Or wealth
- Proverbs 6:34 Lit is the rage of
- Proverbs 6:35 Lit lift up the face of
Proverbs 6:20-35
American Standard Version
20 My son, keep the commandment of thy father,
And forsake not the [a]law of thy mother:
21 Bind them continually upon thy heart;
Tie them about thy neck.
22 When thou walkest, it shall lead thee;
When thou [b]sleepest, it shall watch over thee;
And when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
23 For [c]the commandment is a lamp; and [d]the law is light;
And reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
24 To keep thee from the evil woman,
From the flattery of the foreigner’s tongue.
25 Lust not after her beauty in thy heart;
Neither let her take thee with her eyelids.
26 For on account of a harlot a man is brought to a piece of bread;
And [e]the adulteress hunteth for the precious life.
27 Can a man take fire in his bosom,
And his clothes not be burned?
28 Or can one walk upon hot coals,
And his feet not be scorched?
29 So he that goeth in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whosoever toucheth her shall not be [f]unpunished.
30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal
To satisfy [g]himself when he is hungry:
31 But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold;
He shall give all the substance of his house.
32 He that committeth adultery with a woman is void of [h]understanding:
He doeth it who would destroy his own soul.
33 Wounds and dishonor shall he get;
And his reproach shall not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy is the rage of a man;
And he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35 He will not regard any ransom;
Neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.
Notas al pie
- Proverbs 6:20 Or, teaching
- Proverbs 6:22 Hebrew liest down.
- Proverbs 6:23 Or, their commandment
- Proverbs 6:23 Or, their teaching
- Proverbs 6:26 Hebrew a man’s wife.
- Proverbs 6:29 Hebrew held innocent.
- Proverbs 6:30 Or, his appetite
- Proverbs 6:32 Hebrew heart.
Proverbs 7:4-27
Legacy Standard Bible
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your intimate friend;
5 In order to keep you from the strange woman,
From the foreign woman who [a]flatters with her words.
6 For (A)at the window of my house
I looked out (B)through my lattice,
7 And I saw among the (C)simple,
And discerned among the [b]sons
A young man (D)lacking a heart of wisdom,
8 Passing through the street near (E)her corner;
And he strides along the way to (F)her house,
9 In the (G)twilight, in the evening of that day,
In the [c]middle of the night, and in the thick darkness.
10 And behold, a woman comes to meet him,
(H)Dressed as a harlot and [d]cunning of heart.
11 She is (I)boisterous and rebellious,
Her (J)feet do not dwell at home;
12 Stepping in the streets, stepping (K)in the squares,
And near every corner she (L)lies in wait.
13 So she seizes him and kisses him
[e]And with a (M)brazen face she says to him:
14 “The sacrifices of (N)peace offerings are with me;
Today I (O)paid my vows.
15 Therefore I have come out to meet you,
To seek your face earnestly, and I have found you.
16 I have spread my couch with (P)coverings,
With colored (Q)linens of Egypt.
17 I have sprinkled my bed
With (R)myrrh, aloes, and (S)cinnamon.
18 Come, then, let us drink our fill as lovers until morning;
Let us delight ourselves with the pleasures of love.
19 For [f]my husband is not at home,
He has gone on a journey far away;
20 He took a (T)bag of silver in his hand,
On the day of the full moon he will come home.”
21 With her abundant [g]persuasions she entices him;
With her (U)flattering lips she drives him to herself.
22 He suddenly follows her
As an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or [h]as one in fetters to the discipline of an ignorant fool,
23 Until an arrow pierces through his liver;
As a (V)bird hastens to the snare,
And he does not know that it will cost him his [i]soul.
24 So now, my sons, (W)listen to me,
And pay attention to the words of my mouth.
25 Do not let your heart (X)go astray into her ways,
Do not wander into her pathways.
26 For many are the slain whom she has cast down,
And (Y)numerous are all those killed by her.
27 The ways to Sheol are in her (Z)house,
Descending to the chambers of death.
Notas al pie
- Proverbs 7:5 Lit is smooth
- Proverbs 7:7 Or youths
- Proverbs 7:9 Lit pupil (of the eye)
- Proverbs 7:10 Lit guarded
- Proverbs 7:13 Lit She makes bold her face and says
- Proverbs 7:19 Lit the man
- Proverbs 7:21 Lit learning
- Proverbs 7:22 Some ancient versions as a stag goes into a trap
- Proverbs 7:23 Or life
Proverbs 7:4-27
American Standard Version
4 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister;
And call understanding thy [a]kinswoman:
5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman,
From the foreigner that [b]flattereth with her words.
6 For at the window of my house
I looked forth through my lattice;
7 And I beheld among the simple ones,
I discerned among the youths,
A young man void of understanding,
8 Passing through the street near her corner;
And he went the way to her house,
9 In the twilight, in the evening of the day,
In the [c]middle of the night and in the darkness.
10 And, behold, there met him a woman
With the attire of a harlot, and [d]wily of heart.
11 (She is [e]clamorous and wilful;
Her feet abide not in her house:
12 Now she is in the streets, now in the broad places,
And lieth in wait at every corner.)
13 So she caught him, and kissed him,
[f]And with an impudent face she said unto him:
14 Sacrifices of peace-offerings [g]are with me;
This day have I paid my vows.
15 Therefore came I forth to meet thee,
Diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.
16 I have spread my couch with [h]carpets of tapestry,
With striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt.
17 I have [i]perfumed my bed
With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning;
Let us solace ourselves with loves.
19 For the man is not at home;
He is gone a long journey:
20 He hath taken a bag of money with him;
He will come home at the full moon.
21 With her much fair speech she causeth him to yield;
With the flattering of her lips she forceth him along.
22 He goeth after her [j]straightway,
As an ox goeth to the slaughter,
Or as one in [k]fetters to the correction of the fool;
23 Till an arrow strike through his liver;
As a bird hasteth to the snare,
And knoweth not that it is for his life.
24 Now therefore, my sons, hearken unto me,
And attend to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not thy heart decline to her ways;
Go not astray in her paths.
26 For she hath cast down many wounded:
Yea, all her slain are a mighty host.
27 Her house is the way to Sheol,
Going down to the chambers of death.
Notas al pie
- Proverbs 7:4 Or, familiar friend
- Proverbs 7:5 Hebrew maketh smooth her words.
- Proverbs 7:9 Hebrew pupil (of the eye).
- Proverbs 7:10 Or, close. Hebrew guarded.
- Proverbs 7:11 Or, turbulent
- Proverbs 7:13 Hebrew She hardened her face, and said.
- Proverbs 7:14 Or, were due from me
- Proverbs 7:16 Or, cushions
- Proverbs 7:17 Or, sprinkled
- Proverbs 7:22 Hebrew suddenly.
- Proverbs 7:22 The Hebrew is obscure.
Proverbs 22:14
Legacy Standard Bible
Notas al pie
- Proverbs 22:14 Lit there
Proverbs 22:14
American Standard Version
14 The mouth of strange women is a deep pit;
He [a]that is abhorred of Jehovah shall fall therein.
Notas al pie
- Proverbs 22:14 Or, against whom Jehovah hath indignation
Proverbs 23:26-28
Legacy Standard Bible
26 (A)Give your heart to me, my son,
And let your eyes [a](B)delight in my ways.
27 For a harlot is a (C)deep pit
And [b]a (D)foreign woman is a narrow well.
28 Surely she (E)lies in wait as a robber,
And adds to the treacherous among men.
Notas al pie
- Proverbs 23:26 Or observe
- Proverbs 23:27 Or an adulterous, cf. Prov 2:16
Proverbs 23:26-28
American Standard Version
26 My son, give me thy heart;
And let thine eyes [a]delight in my ways.
27 For a harlot is a deep ditch;
And a foreign woman is a narrow pit.
28 Yea, she lieth in wait [b]as a robber,
And increaseth the treacherous among men.
Notas al pie
- Proverbs 23:26 Another reading is, observe
- Proverbs 23:28 Or, as for a prey
Proverbs 30:20-23
Legacy Standard Bible
20 This is the way of an (A)adulterous woman:
She eats and wipes her mouth,
And says, “I have done no wrong.”
21 Under three things the earth quakes,
And under four, it cannot bear up:
22 Under a (B)slave when he becomes king,
And a wicked fool when he is satisfied with food,
23 Under [a]an unloved woman when she gets a husband,
And a servant-girl when she supplants her mistress.
Notas al pie
- Proverbs 30:23 Lit a hated
Proverbs 30:20-23
American Standard Version
20 So is the way of an adulterous woman;
She eateth, and wipeth her mouth,
And saith, I have done no wickedness.
21 [a]For three things the earth doth tremble,
And for four, which it cannot bear:
22 For a servant when he is king;
And a fool when he is filled with food;
23 For an odious woman when she is married;
And a handmaid that is heir to her mistress.
Notas al pie
- Proverbs 30:21 Hebrew Under.
Proverbs 31:3
Legacy Standard Bible
Proverbs 31:3
American Standard Version
3 Give not thy strength unto women,
Nor thy ways to [a]that which destroyeth kings.
Notas al pie
- Proverbs 31:3 Or, as otherwise read, them that destroy
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