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
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 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
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 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
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 22:14
Legacy Standard Bible
Footnotes
- Proverbs 22:14 Lit there
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 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
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 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
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 31:3
Legacy Standard Bible
Proverbs 31:3
Holman Christian Standard Bible
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