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
Proverbios 7
Reina Valera Actualizada
7 Hijo mío, guarda mis palabras
y atesora mis mandamientos dentro de ti.
2 Guarda mis mandamientos y vivirás; guarda mi enseñanza como a la niña de tus ojos.
3 Átalos a tus dedos;
escríbelos en la tabla de tu corazón.
4 Di a la sabiduría: “Tú eres mi hermana”, y a la inteligencia llama: “Mi pariente”.
5 Te guardará de la mujer ajena,
de la extraña que halaga con sus palabras.
Las artimañas de la mujer adúltera
6 Mirando yo por la ventana de mi casa, por entre mi celosía,
7 vi entre los ingenuos
y observé entre los jóvenes
a uno falto de entendimiento.
8 Él pasaba por la plaza, cerca de
la esquina,
y caminaba en dirección a la casa
de ella.
9 Era al anochecer; ya oscurecía. Sucedió en medio de la noche
y en la oscuridad.
10 Y he aquí que una mujer le salió
al encuentro
con vestido de prostituta y astuta
de corazón.
11 Ella es alborotadora y obstinada; sus pies no pueden estar en casa.
12 Unas veces está afuera;
otras veces por las plazas,
acechando por todas las esquinas.
13 Se prendió de él, lo besó
y descaradamente le dijo:
14 “Sacrificios de paz había prometido,
y hoy he pagado mis votos.
15 Por eso he salido a tu encuentro,
a buscarte, y te he encontrado.
16 He preparado mi cama con colchas;
la he tendido con lino de Egipto.
17 He perfumado mi cama
con mirra, áloe y canela.
18 Ven, saciémonos de caricias hasta
la mañana;
deleitémonos en amores.
19 Porque mi marido no está en casa; partió para un largo viaje.
20 Llevó consigo una bolsa de dinero;
el día de la luna llena volverá a su casa”.
21 Lo rindió con su mucha persuasión;
lo sedujo con la suavidad de sus labios.
22 En seguida se va tras ella,
como va el buey al matadero, como un cordero al que lo ata;
va como un venado,
23 hasta que una flecha le atraviesa
el hígado;
como el ave que se apresura a la red
y no sabe que le costará la vida[a].
24 Ahora pues, hijos, óiganme;
presten atención a los dichos
de mi boca.
25 No se aparte tu corazón tras
sus caminos,
ni te descarríes por sus sendas.
26 Porque a muchos ha hecho caer muertos; los que ella ha matado son innumerables.
27 Su casa está en los caminos del Seol que descienden a las cámaras
de la muerte.
Footnotes
- Proverbios 7:23 Vv. 22 y 23 reformulados según LXX y Vulgata; heb., de significado oscuro.
Proverbs 7
English Standard Version
Warning Against the Adulteress
7 (A)My son, keep my words
and (B)treasure up my commandments with you;
2 (C)keep my commandments and live;
keep my teaching as (D)the apple of your eye;
3 (E)bind them on your fingers;
(F)write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call insight your intimate friend,
5 to keep you from (G)the forbidden[a] woman,
from (H)the adulteress[b] with her smooth words.
6 For at (I)the window of my house
I have looked out through my lattice,
7 and I have seen among (J)the simple,
I have perceived among the youths,
a young man (K)lacking sense,
8 passing along the street (L)near her corner,
taking the road to her house
9 in (M)the twilight, in the evening,
at (N)the time of night and darkness.
10 And behold, the woman meets him,
(O)dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.[c]
11 She is (P)loud and (Q)wayward;
(R)her feet do not stay at home;
12 now in the street, now in the market,
and (S)at every corner she (T)lies in wait.
13 She seizes him and kisses him,
and with (U)bold face she says to him,
14 “I had to (V)offer sacrifices,[d]
and today I have (W)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 (X)coverings,
colored linens from (Y)Egyptian linen;
17 I have perfumed my bed with (Z)myrrh,
aloes, and (AA)cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love till morning;
let us delight ourselves with love.
19 For (AB)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 (AC)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 (AD)a bird rushes into a snare;
he does not know that it will cost him his life.
24 And (AE)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 (AF)a mighty throng.
27 Her house is (AG)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
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Version Reina Valera Actualizada, Copyright © 2015 by Editorial Mundo Hispano
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
