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.
Footnotes
- 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
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
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.
Footnotes
- 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
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
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.
Footnotes
- 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
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
Legacy Standard Bible
Footnotes
- Proverbs 22:14 Lit there
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
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.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 23:26 Or observe
- Proverbs 23:27 Or an adulterous, cf. Prov 2:16
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
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.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 30:23 Lit a hated
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
Legacy 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.
