16 To (A)rescue you from the strange woman,
From the (B)foreign woman who flatters with her words,
17 Who leaves the (C)companion of her youth
And forgets the (D)covenant of her God;
18 For (E)her house sinks down to death,
And her tracks lead to the [a]dead;
19 None (F)who go to her return,
Nor do they reach the (G)paths of life.
20 So you will (H)walk in the way of good people
And keep to the (I)paths of the righteous.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 2:18 Lit departed spirits

16 You will be saved from the loose woman,[a]
    from the adulteress[b] with her smooth words,(A)
17 who forsakes the partner of her youth
    and forgets her sacred covenant,
18 for her way[c] leads down to death
    and her paths to the shades;(B)
19 those who go to her never come back,
    nor do they regain the paths of life.

20 Therefore walk in the way of the good,
    and keep to the paths of the just.

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Footnotes

  1. 2.16 Heb strange woman
  2. 2.16 Heb alien woman
  3. 2.18 Cn: Heb house

Pitfalls of Immorality

My son, (A)pay attention to my wisdom,
(B)Incline your ear to my understanding,
So that you may (C)maintain discretion
And your (D)lips may comply with knowledge.
For the lips of an [a](E)adulteress (F)drip honey,
And her [b]speech is (G)smoother than oil;
But in the end she is (H)bitter as wormwood,
(I)Sharp as a two-edged sword.
Her feet (J)go down to death,
Her steps take hold of Sheol.
[c]She does not ponder the (K)path of life;
Her ways are (L)unstable, she (M)does not know it.

(N)Now then, my sons, listen to me
And (O)do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
(P)Keep your way far from her,
And do not go near the (Q)door of her house,
Otherwise you will give your vigor to others,
And your years to the cruel one;
10 And strangers will be filled with your strength,
And your hard-earned possessions will go to the house of a foreigner;
11 And you will groan [d]in [e]the end,
When your flesh and your body are consumed;
12 And you say, “How I (R)hated instruction!
And my heart (S)disdainfully rejected rebuke!
13 I did not listen to the voice of my (T)teachers,
Nor incline my ear to my instructors!
14 I was almost in total ruin
In the midst of the assembly and congregation.”

15 Drink water from your own cistern,
And [f]fresh water from your own well.
16 Should your (U)springs overflow into the street,
Streams of water in the public squares?
17 Let them be yours alone,
And not for strangers with you.
18 Let your (V)fountain be blessed,
And (W)rejoice in the (X)wife of your youth.
19 Like a loving (Y)doe and a graceful mountain goat,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
Be [g]exhilarated always with her love.
20 For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an [h](Z)adulteress,
And embrace the breasts of a (AA)foreigner?
21 For the (AB)ways of everyone are before the eyes of the Lord,
And He (AC)observes all his paths.
22 His (AD)own wrongdoings will trap the wicked,
And he will be held by the ropes of his sin.
23 He will (AE)die for lack of instruction,
And in the greatness of his foolishness he will go astray.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 5:3 Lit strange woman
  2. Proverbs 5:3 Lit palate
  3. Proverbs 5:6 Lit That she not watch
  4. Proverbs 5:11 Or at
  5. Proverbs 5:11 Lit your end
  6. Proverbs 5:15 Lit flowing
  7. Proverbs 5:19 Lit intoxicated
  8. Proverbs 5:20 Lit strange woman

Warning against Impurity and Infidelity

My child, be attentive to my wisdom;
    incline your ear to my understanding,(A)
so that you may hold on to prudence,
    and your lips may guard knowledge.
For the lips of a loose woman[a] drip honey,
    and her speech is smoother than oil,(B)
but in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
    sharp as a two-edged sword.(C)
Her feet go down to death;
    her steps follow the path to Sheol.
She does not keep straight to the path of life;
    her ways wander, and she does not know it.

And now, my child,[b] listen to me,
    and do not depart from the words of my mouth.(D)
Keep your way far from her,
    and do not go near the door of her house,(E)
lest you give your honor to others
    and your years to the merciless,
10 and strangers take their fill of your wealth,
    and your labors go to the house of an alien,
11 and at the end of your life you groan,
    when your flesh and body are consumed,
12 and you say, “Oh, how I hated discipline,
    and my heart despised reproof!(F)
13 I did not listen to the voice of my teachers
    or incline my ear to my instructors.
14 Now I am at the point of utter ruin
    in the public assembly.”

15 Drink water from your own cistern,
    flowing water from your own well.
16 Should your springs be scattered abroad,
    streams of water in the streets?(G)
17 Let them be for yourself alone
    and not for sharing with strangers.
18 Let your fountain be blessed,
    and rejoice in the wife of your youth,(H)
19     a lovely deer, a graceful doe.
May her breasts satisfy you at all times;
    may you be intoxicated always by her love.(I)
20 Why should you be intoxicated, my son, by another woman
    and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?[c](J)
21 For human ways are under the eyes of the Lord,
    and he examines all their paths.(K)
22 The iniquities of the wicked ensnare them,
    and they are caught in the coils of their sin.(L)
23 They die for lack of discipline,
    and because of their great folly they are lost.(M)

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Footnotes

  1. 5.3 Heb strange woman
  2. 5.7 Gk Vg: Heb children
  3. 5.20 Heb alien woman

24 To (A)keep you from the evil woman,
From the smooth tongue of the foreign woman.
25 (B)Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her capture you with her (C)eyelids.
26 For (D)the price of a prostitute reduces one to a loaf of bread,
And [a]an adulteress (E)hunts for a precious life.
27 Can anyone take fire in his lap
And his clothes not be burned?
28 Or can a person walk on hot coals
And his feet not be scorched?
29 So is the one who (F)goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her (G)will not [b]go unpunished.
30 People do not despise a thief if he steals
To (H)satisfy [c]himself when he is hungry;
31 But when he is found, he must (I)repay seven times as much;
He must give up all the property of his house.
32 One who commits adultery with a woman is (J)lacking [d]sense;
He who would (K)destroy [e]himself commits it.
33 He will find wounds and disgrace,
And his shame will not be removed.
34 For (L)jealousy [f]enrages a man,
And he will not have compassion on the (M)day of vengeance.
35 He will not [g]accept any settlement,
Nor will he be [h]satisfied though you make it a large gift.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 6:26 Lit a man’s wife
  2. Proverbs 6:29 Lit be innocent
  3. Proverbs 6:30 Lit his soul
  4. Proverbs 6:32 Lit heart
  5. Proverbs 6:32 Lit his soul
  6. Proverbs 6:34 Lit is the rage of
  7. Proverbs 6:35 Lit lift up the face of any
  8. Proverbs 6:35 Lit willing

24 to preserve you from the wife of another,[a]
    from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.[b](A)
25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
    and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes,(B)
26 for a prostitute’s fee is only a loaf of bread,[c]
    but the wife of another stalks a man’s precious life.(C)
27 Can fire be carried in the bosom
    without burning one’s clothes?
28 Or can one walk on hot coals
    without scorching the feet?
29 So is he who sleeps with his neighbor’s wife;
    no one who touches her will go unpunished.(D)
30 Thieves are not despised who steal only
    to satisfy their appetite when they are hungry.
31 Yet if they are caught, they will pay sevenfold;
    they will forfeit all the goods of their house.(E)
32 But he who commits adultery has no sense;
    he who does it destroys himself.(F)
33 He will get wounds and dishonor,
    and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy arouses a husband’s fury,
    and he will show no restraint when he takes revenge.(G)
35 He will accept no compensation
    and will refuse a bribe no matter how great.

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Footnotes

  1. 6.24 Gk: MT the evil woman
  2. 6.24 Heb alien woman
  3. 6.26 Cn Compare Gk Syr Vg Tg: Heb for because of a harlot to a piece of bread

The Lures of the Prostitute

My son, (A)keep my words
And treasure my commandments within you.
(B)Keep my commandments and live,
And my [a]teaching (C)as the [b]apple of your eye.
(D)Bind them on your fingers;
(E)Write them on the tablet of your heart.
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your intimate friend,
So that they may keep you from an [c]adulteress,
From the foreigner who flatters with her words.

For (F)at the window of my house
I looked out (G)through my lattice,
And I saw among the (H)naive,
And discerned among the [d]youths
A young man (I)lacking [e]sense,
Passing through the street near (J)her corner;
And he walks along the way to (K)her house,
In the (L)twilight, in the [f]evening,
In the [g]middle of the night and the darkness.
10 And behold, a woman comes to meet him,
(M)Dressed as a prostitute and cunning of heart.
11 She is (N)boisterous and rebellious,
Her (O)feet do not remain at home;
12 She is now in the streets, now (P)in the public squares,
And (Q)lurks by every corner.
13 So she seizes him and kisses him,
[h]And with a (R)brazen face she says to him:
14 [i]I was due to offer (S)peace offerings;
Today I have (T)paid my vows.
15 Therefore I have come out to meet you,
To seek your presence diligently, and I have found you.
16 I have spread my couch with (U)coverings,
With colored (V)linens of Egypt.
17 I have sprinkled my bed
With (W)myrrh, aloes, and (X)cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s drink our fill of love until morning;
Let’s delight ourselves with caresses.
19 For [j]my husband is not at home;
He has gone on a long journey.
20 He has taken a (Y)bag of money [k]with him.
At the full moon he will come home.”
21 With her many persuasions she entices him;
With her [l](Z)flattering lips she seduces him.
22 Suddenly he follows her
As an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or as [m]one walks in ankle bracelets to the discipline of a fool,
23 Until an arrow pierces through his liver;
As a (AA)bird hurries to the snare,
So he does not know that it will cost him his life.

24 Now therefore, my sons, (AB)listen to me,
And pay attention to the words of my mouth.
25 Do not let your heart (AC)turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths.
26 For many are the [n]victims she has brought to ruin,
And (AD)numerous are all those slaughtered by her.
27 Her (AE)house is the way to Sheol,
Descending to the chambers of death.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 7:2 Or law
  2. Proverbs 7:2 Lit pupil
  3. Proverbs 7:5 Lit strange woman
  4. Proverbs 7:7 Lit sons
  5. Proverbs 7:7 Lit heart
  6. Proverbs 7:9 Lit evening of the day
  7. Proverbs 7:9 Lit pupil (of the eye)
  8. Proverbs 7:13 Lit She makes bold her face and says
  9. Proverbs 7:14 Lit Sacrifices of peace offerings are with me
  10. Proverbs 7:19 Lit the man
  11. Proverbs 7:20 Lit in his hand
  12. Proverbs 7:21 Lit smooth
  13. Proverbs 7:22 Or as a stag goes into a trap; as in some ancient versions, Heb is uncertain
  14. Proverbs 7:26 Lit wounded

The False Attractions of Adultery

My child, keep my words
    and store up my commandments with you;(A)
keep my commandments and live;
    keep my teachings as the apple[a] of your eye;(B)
bind them on your fingers;
    write them on the tablet of your heart.(C)
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
    and call insight your intimate friend,
that they may keep you from the loose woman,[b]
    from the adulteress[c] with her smooth words.(D)

For at the window of my house
    I looked out through my lattice,
and I saw among the simple ones,
    I observed among the youths,
    a young man without sense,(E)
passing along the street near her corner,
    taking the road to her house(F)
in the twilight, in the evening,
    at the time of night and darkness.(G)

10 Then a woman comes toward him
    decked out like a prostitute, with hidden intent.
11 She is loud and wayward;
    her feet do not stay at home;(H)
12 now in the street, now in the squares,
    and at every corner she lies in wait.(I)
13 She seizes him and kisses him,
    and with impudent face she says to him:
14 “I had to offer sacrifices,
    and today I have paid my vows;(J)
15 so now I have come out to meet you,
    to seek you eagerly, and I have found you!
16 I have decked my couch with coverings,
    colored spreads of Egyptian linen;(K)
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 my husband is not at home;
    he has gone on a long journey.
20 He took a bag of money with him;
    he will not come home until full moon.”

21 With much seductive speech she persuades him;
    with her smooth talk she compels him.(L)
22 Right away he follows her
    and goes like an ox to the slaughter
or bounds like a stag toward the trap[d]
23     until an arrow pierces its entrails.
He is like a bird rushing into a snare,
    not knowing that it will cost him his life.(M)

24 And now, my children, listen to me,
    and be attentive to the words of my mouth.(N)
25 Do not let your hearts turn aside to her ways;
    do not stray into her paths.(O)
26 For many are those she has laid low,
    and numerous are her victims.(P)
27 Her house is the way to Sheol,
    going down to the chambers of death.(Q)

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Footnotes

  1. 7.2 Heb little man
  2. 7.5 Heb strange woman
  3. 7.5 Heb alien woman
  4. 7.22 Cn Compare Gk: Meaning of Heb uncertain

13 [a]A woman of foolishness is (A)boisterous,
She has a lack of understanding and (B)knows nothing.
14 She sits at the doorway of her house,
On a seat by (C)the high places of the city,
15 Calling to those who pass by,
Who are going straight on their paths:
16 (D)Whoever is naive, let him turn in here,”
And to him who lacks [b]understanding she says,
17 “Stolen water is sweet;
And (E)bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
18 But he does not know that the [c]dead are there,
That her guests are in the (F)depths of Sheol.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 9:13 Or A foolish woman
  2. Proverbs 9:16 Lit heart
  3. Proverbs 9:18 Lit departed spirits

Folly’s Invitation and Promise

13 The foolish woman is loud;
    she is ignorant and knows nothing.(A)
14 She sits at the door of her house,
    on a seat at the high places of the town,
15 calling to those who pass by,
    who are going straight on their way,
16 “You who are simple, turn in here!”
    And to those without sense she says,
17 “Stolen water is sweet,
    and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”(B)
18 But they do not know that the dead[a] are there,
    that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.(C)

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Footnotes

  1. 9.18 Heb shades

14 The mouth of [a](A)an adulteress is a deep pit;
He who is (B)cursed of the Lord will fall [b]into it.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:14 Lit strange woman
  2. Proverbs 22:14 Lit there

14 The mouth of a loose woman[a] is a deep pit;
    he with whom the Lord is angry falls into it.

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Footnotes

  1. 22.14 Heb strange woman

26 (A)Give me your heart, my son,
And let your eyes [a](B)delight in my ways.
27 For a prostitute is a (C)deep pit,
And a [b](D)strange woman is a narrow well.
28 Certainly she (E)lurks as a robber,
And increases the treacherous among mankind.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:26 Another reading is observe
  2. Proverbs 23:27 Lit foreign

26 My child, give me your heart,
    and let your eyes observe[a] my ways.(A)
27 For a prostitute is a deep pit;
    an adulteress[b] is a narrow well.(B)
28 She lies in wait like a robber
    and increases the number of the faithless.(C)

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Footnotes

  1. 23.26 Or delight in
  2. 23.27 Heb alien woman

A man who (A)loves wisdom makes his father glad,
But he who (B)involves himself with prostitutes wastes his wealth.

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A child who loves wisdom makes a parent glad,
    but a companion of prostitutes destroys wealth.(A)

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20 This is the way of an (A)adulterous woman:
She eats and wipes her mouth,
And says, “I have done no wrong.”

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20 This is the way of an adulteress:
    she eats and wipes her mouth
    and says, “I have done no wrong.”(A)

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What, my son?
And what, (A)son of my womb?
And what, son of my (B)vows?
(C)Do not give your strength to women,
Or your ways to that which (D)destroys kings.

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No, my son! No, son of my womb!
    No, son of my vows!(A)
Do not give your strength to women,
    your ways to those who destroy kings.(B)

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