Proverbs 7
New King James Version
The Wiles of a Harlot
7 My son, keep my words,
And (A)treasure my commands within you.
2 (B)Keep my commands and live,
(C)And my law as the apple of your eye.
3 (D)Bind them on your fingers;
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your nearest kin,
5 (E)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 (F)devoid[b] of understanding,
8 Passing along the street near her corner;
And he took the path to her house
9 (G)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 (H)She was loud and rebellious,
(I)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 (J)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 (K)her enticing speech she caused him to yield,
(L)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.
(M)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 (N)all who were slain by her were strong men.
27 (O)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
Revised Geneva Translation
7 My son, keep my words, and hide my commandments with you.
2 Keep my commandments, and you shall live; and my instruction, as the apple of your eyes.
3 Bind them upon your fingers. Write them upon the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister”. And call understanding, “kinswoman”.
5 That they may keep you from the strange woman; from the strange who is smooth in her words.
6 As in the window of my house, I looked through my window.
7 And I saw among the fools, considered among the children, a young man destitute of understanding.
8 Who passed through the street by her corner and went toward her house;
9 in the twilight, in the evening, when the night began to be black and dark.
10 And behold, he was met by a woman with a harlot’s behavior, and subtle in heart.
11 (She is babbling and loud. Her feet cannot stay in her house.
12 Now outside. Now in the streets; lying in wait at every corner)
13 So she caught him and kissed him. And with an impudent face, said to him,
14 “I have peace offerings. Today I have paid my vows.
15 “Therefore I came forth to meet you, that I might seek your face. And I have found you.
16 “I have decked my bed with ornaments, carpets and laces 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 take our pleasure in dalliance.
19 “For my husband is not at home. He is gone on a far-off journey.
20 “He has taken with him a bag of silver and will come home at the day appointed.”
21 Thus with her great craftiness she caused him to yield. And with her flattering lips she enticed him.
22 And he followed her immediately, as an ox that goes to the slaughter; and as a fool to the stocks for correction,
23 till an arrow strikes through his liver. As a bird hastes to the snare, not knowing that he is in danger.
24 Hear me now, therefore, O children, and listen to the words of my mouth.
25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways. Do not wander in her paths.
26 For she has caused many to fall down wounded; the strong men all slain by her.
27 Her house is the way to the grave which goes down to the chambers of death.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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