Proverbs 2:16-20
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
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.
Proverbs 2:16-20
International Standard Version
16 delivering you from the adulteress,
from the immoral[a] woman with her seductive words,
17 someone who abandoned the companion of her youth
and forgot the covenant of her God.
18 For her house leads down to death,
and her paths down to the realm of the dead.
19 None who go to her return,
nor do they reach the paths of life.
20 This is how you will walk in the way of good men
and will keep to the paths of the righteous.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 2:16 Lit. foreign; i.e. one whose values are foreign to God’s Law
Proverbs 5
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Warning against Impurity and Infidelity
5 My child, be attentive to my wisdom;
incline your ear to my understanding,(A)
2 so that you may hold on to prudence,
and your lips may guard knowledge.
3 For the lips of a loose woman[a] drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil,(B)
4 but in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
sharp as a two-edged sword.(C)
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps follow the path to Sheol.
6 She does not keep straight to the path of life;
her ways wander, and she does not know it.
7 And now, my child,[b] listen to me,
and do not depart from the words of my mouth.(D)
8 Keep your way far from her,
and do not go near the door of her house,(E)
9 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)
Proverbs 5
International Standard Version
Warning against Sexual Immorality
5 My son, pay attention to my wisdom,
and listen closely to my insight,
2 so you may carefully practice[a] discretion
and your lips preserve knowledge.
3 For the lips of an adulteress drip honey,
and her speech[b] is smoother than oil.
4 But in the end she is as bitter as wormwood,[c]
and as sharp as a double-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead to Sheol.[d]
6 You aren’t thinking about[e] where her life is headed;
her steps wander, but you do not realize[f] it.
7 Now, children,[g] listen to me.
Don’t turn away from what I am saying.[h]
8 Keep[i] far away from her,
and don’t go near the entrance to her house,
9 so that you don’t give your honor to others,
and waste your best years;[j]
10 so that strangers don’t enrich themselves at your expense,[k]
and your work won’t end up the possession of foreigners.[l]
11 You will cry out in anguish when your end comes,
when your flesh and body are consumed,
12 and you will say, “How I hated instruction,[m]
and my heart rejected correction!
13 I did not obey my teachers
and did not listen[n] to my instructors.
14 Now I am at the point of utter disaster
in[o] the assembly and in the congregation.”
The Delights of Marital Faithfulness
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
and fresh[p] water from your own well.
16 Should your springs flow outside,
or streams of water in the street?
17 They should be for you alone
and not for strangers who are with you.
18 Let your fountain be blessed
and enjoy the wife of your youth.
19 Like a loving deer, a beautiful doe,
let her breasts satisfy you all the time.
Be constantly intoxicated by her love.
20 Why should you be intoxicated by an adulteress, my son,
and embrace the bosom of a foreign woman?
21 Indeed, what a man does is[q] always in the Lord’s presence,[r]
and he weighs all his paths.
22 The wicked person’s iniquities will capture him,
and he will be held with the cords of his sin.
23 He will die for lack of discipline,
and he goes astray because of his great folly.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 5:2 Lit. guard
- Proverbs 5:3 Lit. palate
- Proverbs 5:4 Wormwood is a plant with an extremely bitter taste.
- Proverbs 5:5 I.e. the realm of the dead
- Proverbs 5:6 Or She does not consider
- Proverbs 5:6 Or she does not realize
- Proverbs 5:7 Or sons
- Proverbs 5:7 Lit. from the words of my mouth
- Proverbs 5:8 Lit. Keep your path
- Proverbs 5:9 Lit. and your years to the cruel
- Proverbs 5:10 Lit. don’t satisfy themselves with your strength
- Proverbs 5:10 Lit. won’t go into a foreigner’s house
- Proverbs 5:12 Or discipline
- Proverbs 5:13 Lit. incline my ear
- Proverbs 5:14 Lit. in the midst of
- Proverbs 5:15 Lit. flowing
- Proverbs 5:21 Lit. Indeed, a man’s ways are
- Proverbs 5:21 Lit. in front of the Lord’s eyes
Proverbs 6:24-35
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
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.
Proverbs 6:24-35
International Standard Version
24 to protect you from the evil[a] woman,
from the words of the seductive woman.
25 Do not focus on her beauty in your mind,
nor allow her to take you prisoner with her flirting eyes,
26 because the price of a whore is a loaf of bread,
and an adulterous woman stalks a man’s precious life.
27 Can a man scoop fire into his bosom
without burning his clothes?
28 Can a man walk on hot coals
without scorching his feet?
29 So also is it with someone who has sex with his neighbor’s wife;
anyone touching her will not remain unpunished.
30 A thief isn’t despised
if he steals to meet his needs[b] when he is hungry,
31 but when he is discovered,
he must restore seven-fold,
forfeiting the entire value of his house.
32 Whoever commits adultery with a woman is out of his mind;
by doing so he corrupts his own soul.
33 He will receive a beating and dishonor,
and his shame won’t disappear,
34 because jealousy incites[c] a strong man’s rage,
and he will show no mercy when it’s time for revenge.
35 He will not consider any payment,
nor will he be willing to accept it,[d]
no matter how large the bribe.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 6:24 So MT; LXX reads married
- Proverbs 6:30 Lit. to refresh his soul
- Proverbs 6:34 The Heb. lacks incites
- Proverbs 6:35 The Heb. lacks to accept it
Proverbs 7
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The False Attractions of Adultery
7 My child, keep my words
and store up my commandments with you;(A)
2 keep my commandments and live;
keep my teachings as the apple[a] of your eye;(B)
3 bind them on your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.(C)
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call insight your intimate friend,
5 that they may keep you from the loose woman,[b]
from the adulteress[c] with her smooth words.(D)
6 For at the window of my house
I looked out through my lattice,
7 and I saw among the simple ones,
I observed among the youths,
a young man without sense,(E)
8 passing along the street near her corner,
taking the road to her house(F)
9 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)
Proverbs 7
International Standard Version
On Avoiding the Immoral Woman
7 My son, guard what I say
and treasure my commands.
2 Keep my commands and you’ll live.
Guard[a] my teaching as you do your eyesight.
3 Strap them to your fingers
and engrave them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You’re my sister!”
and call understanding your close relative,
5 so they can keep you from an adulterous woman,
from the immoral woman with her seductive words.
A Father’s Warning
6 For from a window in my house
I peered through the lattice work,
7 and I noticed among the naïve—
that is, I discerned among the youths—
a senseless young man.
8 Proceeding down the street near her corner,
he makes his way toward her house
9 at twilight, during the evening,
even during the darkest part of the night.
10 Look! A woman makes her way to meet him,
dressed as a prostitute
and intending to entrap him.
11 She is brazen and defiant—
her feet don’t remain at home.
12 Now she is in the street, now in the plazas,
she lurks near every corner.
13 So she grabs hold of him and kisses him,
with a brazen face she speaks to him,
14 “I have given[b] my peace offerings,
and today I fulfilled my vows.
15 Therefore, I’ve come out to meet you,
I’ve looked just for you,
and I found you!
16 I’ve decorated my bed with new coverings—
embroidered linen from Egypt.
17 I’ve perfumed my bed
with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s make love until dawn;
let’s comfort ourselves with love,
19 because my husband isn’t home.
He left on a long trip.
20 He took a fist full of cash
and he’ll return home in a month.”
21 She leads him astray with great persuasion;
with flattering lips she seduces him.
22 All of a sudden he follows her
like an ox fit for slaughter
or like a fool fit for a trap[c]
23 until an arrow pierces his liver.
As a bird darts into a snare,
he doesn’t realize his fatal decision.[d]
24 So listen to me, my sons,
and pay attention to what I have to say.
25 Don’t be led astray by her lifestyle,[e]
and don’t imitate her behavior.[f]
26 For many are the victims whom she has conquered,
and many are her slain.
27 Her house leads to Sheol,[g]
descending to death’s catacombs.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 7:2 The Heb. lacks Guard
- Proverbs 7:14 The Heb. lacks given
- Proverbs 7:22 So MT; LXX reads a dog fit for chains
- Proverbs 7:23 Lit. realize it is his life
- Proverbs 7:25 Lit. ways
- Proverbs 7:25 Lit. paths
- Proverbs 7:27 I.e. the realm of the dead
Proverbs 9:13-18
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
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)
Footnotes
- 9.18 Heb shades
Proverbs 9:13-18
International Standard Version
Folly’s Entrapment
13 The foolish woman is loud,
undisciplined, and without knowledge.
14 She sits at the entrance of her house,
on a seat high above the city.
15 She calls out to those passing by on the road,
who are minding their own business,[a]
16 “Whoever is naïve, turn in here!”
And to anyone lacking sense, she says,
17 “Stolen waters are sweet,
and food eaten in secret is delicious.”
18 But he does not realize that the dead lurk there,
and her invited guests wind up in the depths of Sheol.[b]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 9:15 Or are going straight on their way
- Proverbs 9:18 I.e. the realm of the dead
Proverbs 22:14
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
14 The mouth of a loose woman[a] is a deep pit;
he with whom the Lord is angry falls into it.
Footnotes
- 22.14 Heb strange woman
Proverbs 22:14
International Standard Version
14 The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit;
a man experiencing the Lord’s wrath will fall into it.
Proverbs 23:26-28
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Proverbs 23:26-28
International Standard Version
26 Give me your heart, my son,
and keep your eyes fixed on my ways,
27 because a prostitute is a deep pit,
and the adulterous[a] woman a narrow well.
28 Surely she lies in wait like a bandit,
increasing those who are faithless among mankind.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 23:27 Lit. foreign
Proverbs 29:3
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
3 A child who loves wisdom makes a parent glad,
but a companion of prostitutes destroys wealth.(A)
Proverbs 29:3
International Standard Version
3 The man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father,
but anyone who consorts with immoral women squanders his wealth.
Proverbs 30:20
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
20 This is the way of an adulteress:
she eats and wipes her mouth
and says, “I have done no wrong.”(A)
Proverbs 30:20
International Standard Version
20 This is what an immoral woman is like:
she eats, wipes her mouth, then says
“I’ve done nothing wrong.”
Proverbs 31:2-3
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
2 No, my son! No, son of my womb!
No, son of my vows!(A)
3 Do not give your strength to women,
your ways to those who destroy kings.(B)
Proverbs 31:2-3
International Standard Version
2 No,[a] my son!
No,[b] my son whom I conceived![c]
No,[d] my son to whom I gave birth![e]
3 Never devote all your energy to sex,[f]
or dedicate your life[g] to destroying kings.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 31:2 Or What
- Proverbs 31:2 Or What
- Proverbs 31:2 Lit. son of my womb?
- Proverbs 31:2 Or What
- Proverbs 31:2 Lit. son of my vows
- Proverbs 31:3 Lit. women
- Proverbs 31:3 Lit. ways
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