Proverbs 2:16
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Footnotes
- Proverbs 2:16 Or foreign woman
Proverbs 2:16
International Standard Version
16 delivering you from the adulteress,
from the immoral[a] woman with her seductive words,
Footnotes
- Proverbs 2:16 Lit. foreign; i.e. one whose values are foreign to God’s Law
Proverbs 5:3
Holman Christian Standard Bible
3 Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey
and her words are[a] smoother than oil,
Footnotes
- Proverbs 5:3 Lit her palate is
Proverbs 5:3
International Standard Version
3 For the lips of an adulteress drip honey,
and her speech[a] is smoother than oil.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 5:3 Lit. palate
Proverbs 5:20
Holman Christian Standard Bible
20 Why, my son, would you be infatuated
with a forbidden woman
or embrace the breast of a stranger?(A)
Proverbs 5:20
International Standard Version
20 Why should you be intoxicated by an adulteress, my son,
and embrace the bosom of a foreign woman?
Proverbs 7:5-27
Holman Christian Standard Bible
5 She will keep you from a forbidden woman,
a stranger with her flattering talk.(A)
A Story of Seduction
6 At the window of my house
I looked through my lattice.(B)
7 I saw among the inexperienced,[a]
I noticed among the youths,
a young man lacking sense.
8 Crossing the street near her corner,
he strolled down the road to her house
9 at twilight, in the evening,
in the dark of the night.(C)
10 A woman came to meet him
dressed like a prostitute,(D)
having a hidden agenda.[b]
11 She is loud and defiant;(E)
her feet do not stay at home.(F)
12 Now in the street, now in the squares,(G)
she lurks at every corner.(H)
13 She grabs him and kisses him;
she brazenly says[c] to him,
14 “I’ve made fellowship offerings;[d]
today I’ve fulfilled my vows.(I)
15 So I came out to meet you,
to search for you, and I’ve found you.
16 I’ve spread coverings on my bed(J)—
richly colored linen from Egypt.(K)
17 I’ve perfumed my bed
with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.(L)
18 Come, let’s drink deeply of lovemaking until morning.(M)
Let’s feast on each other’s love!
19 My husband isn’t home;
he went on a long journey.
20 He took a bag of money with him
and will come home at the time of the full moon.”
21 She seduces him with her persistent pleading;
she lures with her flattering[e] talk.
22 He follows her impulsively
like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer bounding toward a trap[f]
23 until an arrow pierces its[g] liver,(N)
like a bird darting into a snare(O)—
he doesn’t know it will cost him his life.
24 Now, my sons, listen to me,
and pay attention to the words of my mouth.
25 Don’t let your heart turn aside to her ways;
don’t stray onto her paths.(P)
26 For she has brought many down to death;
her victims are countless.[h]
27 Her house is the road to Sheol,
descending to the chambers of death.(Q)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 7:7 Or simple, or gullible, or naive
- Proverbs 7:10 Or prostitute with a guarded heart
- Proverbs 7:13 Lit she makes her face strong and says
- Proverbs 7:14 Meat from a fellowship offering had to be eaten on the day it was offered; therefore she is inviting him to a feast at her house.
- Proverbs 7:21 Lit smooth
- Proverbs 7:22 Text emended; MT reads like a shackle to the discipline of a fool; Hb obscure
- Proverbs 7:23 Or his
- Proverbs 7:26 Or and powerful men are all her victims
Proverbs 7:5-27
International Standard Version
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[a] 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[b]
23 until an arrow pierces his liver.
As a bird darts into a snare,
he doesn’t realize his fatal decision.[c]
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,[d]
and don’t imitate her behavior.[e]
26 For many are the victims whom she has conquered,
and many are her slain.
27 Her house leads to Sheol,[f]
descending to death’s catacombs.
Footnotes
- 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 22:14
Holman Christian Standard Bible
14 The mouth of the forbidden woman is a deep pit;
a man cursed by the Lord will fall into it.(A)
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
Holman Christian Standard Bible
26 My son, give me your heart,
and let your eyes observe my ways.
27 For a prostitute is a deep pit,(A)
and a stranger is a narrow well;
28 indeed, she sets an ambush like a robber(B)
and increases those among men who are unfaithful.
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
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