Proverbs 5:3-23
New King James Version
3 (A)For the lips of [a]an immoral woman drip honey,
And her mouth is (B)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,
(C)Her steps lay hold of [b]hell.
6 Lest you ponder her path of life—
Her ways are unstable;
You do not know them.
7 Therefore hear me now, my children,
And do not depart from the words of my mouth.
8 Remove your way far from her,
And do not go near the door of her house,
9 Lest you give your [c]honor to others,
And your years to the cruel one;
10 Lest aliens be filled with your [d]wealth,
And your labors go to the house of a foreigner;
11 And you mourn at last,
When your flesh and your body are consumed,
12 And say:
“How I have hated instruction,
And my heart despised correction!
13 I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers,
Nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me!
14 I was on the verge of total ruin,
In the midst of the assembly and congregation.”
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
And running water from your own well.
16 Should your fountains be dispersed abroad,
[e]Streams of water in the streets?
17 Let them be only your own,
And not for strangers with you.
18 Let your fountain be blessed,
And rejoice with (D)the wife of your youth.
19 (E)As a loving deer and a graceful doe,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
And always be [f]enraptured with her love.
20 For why should you, my son, be enraptured by (F)an immoral woman,
And be embraced in the arms of a seductress?
21 (G)For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord,
And He [g]ponders all his paths.
22 (H)His own iniquities entrap the wicked man,
And he is caught in the cords of his sin.
23 (I)He shall die for lack of instruction,
And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 5:3 Lit. a strange
- Proverbs 5:5 Or Sheol
- Proverbs 5:9 vigor
- Proverbs 5:10 Lit. strength
- Proverbs 5:16 Channels
- Proverbs 5:19 Lit. intoxicated
- Proverbs 5:21 observes, lit. weighs
Proverbs 5:3-23
21st Century King James Version
3 For the lips of a strange woman drip as a honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil;
4 but her end is as bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.
6 Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are wandering, that thou canst not know them.
7 Hear me now therefore, O ye children, 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 wealth and thy labors be in the house of a stranger,
11 and thou mourn at the last when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,
12 and thou sayest, “How have I hated instruction and my heart despised reproof;
13 and have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!
14 I was almost in total evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.”
15 Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.
16 Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets.
17 Let them be only thine own, and not for strangers with thee.
18 Let thy fountain be blessed, and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.
19 Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times, and be thou ravished always with her love.
20 And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?
21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He pondereth all his doings.
22 His own iniquities shall entrap the wicked himself, and he shall be held by the cords of his sins.
23 He shall die without instruction, and in the greatness of his folly shall he go astray.
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Proverbs 6:20-35
New King James Version
Beware of Adultery
20 (A)My son, keep your father’s command,
And do not forsake the law of your mother.
21 (B)Bind them continually upon your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
22 (C)When you roam, [a]they will lead you;
When you sleep, (D)they will keep you;
And when you awake, they will speak with you.
23 (E)For the commandment is a lamp,
And the law a light;
Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,
24 (F)To keep you from the evil woman,
From the flattering tongue of a seductress.
25 (G)Do not lust after her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her allure you with her eyelids.
26 For (H)by means of a harlot
A man is reduced to a crust of bread;
(I)And [b]an adulteress will (J)prey upon his precious life.
27 Can a man take fire to his bosom,
And his clothes not be burned?
28 Can one walk on hot coals,
And his feet not be seared?
29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her shall not be innocent.
30 People do not despise a thief
If he steals to satisfy himself when he is starving.
31 Yet when he is found, (K)he must restore sevenfold;
He may have to give up all the substance of his house.
32 Whoever commits adultery with a woman (L)lacks understanding;
He who does so destroys his own soul.
33 Wounds and dishonor he will get,
And his reproach will not be wiped away.
34 For (M)jealousy is a husband’s fury;
Therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35 He will [c]accept no recompense,
Nor will he be appeased though you give many gifts.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 6:22 Lit. it
- Proverbs 6:26 Wife of another, lit. a man’s wife
- Proverbs 6:35 Lit. lift up the face of any
Proverbs 6:20-35
21st Century King James Version
20 My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother.
21 Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.
22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
23 For the commandment is a lamp, and 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 tongue of a strange woman.
25 Lust not after her beauty in thine heart, neither let her take thee with her eyelids.
26 For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought down to a piece of bread, and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life.
27 Can a man take fire to his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?
28 Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?
29 So he that goeth in to his neighbor’s wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.
30 Men do not despise a thief if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry.
31 But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.
32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding; he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.
33 A wound and dishonor shall he get, and his reproach shall not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy is the rage of a man; therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance;
35 he will not consider any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.
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Proverbs 7:4-27
New King James Version
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your nearest kin,
5 (A)That they may keep you from the immoral woman,
From the seductress who flatters with her words.
The Crafty Harlot
6 For at the window of my house
I looked through my lattice,
7 And saw among the simple,
I perceived among the [a]youths,
A young man (B)devoid[b] of understanding,
8 Passing along the street near her corner;
And he took the path to her house
9 (C)In the twilight, in the evening,
In the black and dark night.
10 And there a woman met him,
With the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart.
11 (D)She was loud and rebellious,
(E)Her feet would not stay at home.
12 At times she was outside, at times in the open square,
Lurking at every corner.
13 So she caught him and kissed him;
With an [c]impudent face she said to him:
14 “I have peace offerings with me;
Today I have paid my vows.
15 So I came out to meet you,
Diligently to seek your face,
And I have found you.
16 I have spread my bed with tapestry,
Colored coverings of (F)Egyptian linen.
17 I have perfumed my bed
With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love until morning;
Let us delight ourselves with love.
19 For [d]my husband is not at home;
He has gone on a long journey;
20 He has taken a bag of money [e]with him,
And will come home [f]on the appointed day.”
21 [g]With (G)her enticing speech she caused him to yield,
(H)With her flattering lips she [h]seduced him.
22 Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or [i]as a fool to the correction of the [j]stocks,
23 Till an arrow struck his liver.
(I)As a bird hastens to the snare,
He did not know it [k]would cost his life.
24 Now therefore, listen to me, my children;
Pay attention to the words of my mouth:
25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths;
26 For she has cast down many wounded,
And (J)all who were slain by her were strong men.
27 (K)Her house is the way to [l]hell,
Descending to the chambers of death.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 7:7 Lit. sons
- Proverbs 7:7 lacking
- Proverbs 7:13 shameless
- Proverbs 7:19 Lit. the man
- Proverbs 7:20 Lit. in his hand
- Proverbs 7:20 at the full moon
- Proverbs 7:21 By the greatness of her words
- Proverbs 7:21 compelled
- Proverbs 7:22 LXX, Syr., Tg. as a dog to bonds; Vg. as a lamb . . . to bonds
- Proverbs 7:22 shackles
- Proverbs 7:23 Lit. is for
- Proverbs 7:27 Or Sheol
Proverbs 7:4-27
21st Century King James Version
4 Say unto wisdom, “Thou art my sister,” and call understanding thy kinswoman,
5 that they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the harlot who flattereth with her words.
6 For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,
7 and I beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youth, 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, in the black and dark night.
10 And behold, there met him a woman with the attire of a harlot and subtle of heart.
11 (She is loud and stubborn, her feet abide not in her house;
12 now is she outside, now in the streets and lieth in wait at every corner.)
13 So she caught him and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him:
14 “I have peace offerings with me; this day have I paid my vows.
15 Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently seeking thy face, and I have found thee.
16 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.
17 I have 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 love.
19 For the master is not at home; he is gone on a long journey.
20 He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed.”
21 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield; with the flattering of her lips she forced him.
22 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks,
23 until a dart strike through his liver, as a bird hasteneth to the snare and knoweth not that it is for his life.
24 Hearken unto me now, therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not thine heart decline to her ways; go not astray in her paths.
26 For she hath cast down many wounded; yea, many strong men have been slain by her.
27 Her house is the way to hell, leading down to the chambers of death.
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Proverbs 22:14
New King James Version
14 (A)The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit;
(B)He who is abhorred by the Lord will fall there.
Proverbs 22:14
21st Century King James Version
14 The mouth of a strange woman is a deep pit; he that is abhorred by the Lord shall fall therein.
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Proverbs 23:26-28
New King James Version
26 My son, give me your heart,
And let your eyes observe my ways.
27 (A)For a harlot is a deep pit,
And a seductress is a narrow well.
28 (B)She also lies in wait as for a victim,
And increases the unfaithful among men.
Proverbs 23:26-28
21st Century King James Version
26 My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways;
27 for a whore is a deep ditch, and a strange woman is a narrow pit.
28 She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.
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Proverbs 30:20-23
New King James Version
20 This is the way of an adulterous woman:
She eats and wipes her mouth,
And says, “I have done no wickedness.”
21 For three things the earth is perturbed,
Yes, for four it cannot bear up:
22 (A)For a servant when he reigns,
A fool when he is filled with food,
23 A [a]hateful woman when she is married,
And a maidservant who succeeds her mistress.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 30:23 Or hated
Proverbs 30:20-23
21st Century King James Version
20 Such is the way of an adulterous woman: she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, “I have done no wickedness.”
21 For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear:
22 for a servant when he reigneth, and a fool when he is filled with meat,
23 for an odious woman when she is married, and a handmaid who is heir to her mistress.
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Proverbs 31:3
New King James Version
Proverbs 31:3
21st Century King James Version
3 Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.
Read full chapterScripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc.