Proverbs 5:3-23
English Standard Version
3 For the lips of (A)a forbidden[a] woman drip honey,
and her speech[b] is (B)smoother than oil,
4 but in the end she is (C)bitter as (D)wormwood,
(E)sharp as (F)a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet (G)go down to death;
her steps follow the path to[c] Sheol;
6 she (H)does not ponder the path of life;
her ways wander, and she does not know it.
7 And (I)now, O sons, listen to me,
and do not depart from the words of my mouth.
8 Keep your way far from her,
and do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you give your honor to others
and your years to the merciless,
10 lest strangers take their fill of your strength,
and your (J)labors go to the house of a foreigner,
11 and at the end of your life you (K)groan,
when your flesh and body are consumed,
12 and you say, (L)“How I hated discipline,
and my heart (M)despised reproof!
13 I did not listen to the voice of my teachers
or incline my ear to my instructors.
14 (N)I am at the brink of utter ruin
in the assembled congregation.”
15 Drink (O)water from your own cistern,
flowing water from your own well.
16 Should your (P)springs be scattered abroad,
streams of water (Q)in the streets?
17 (R)Let them be for yourself alone,
and not for strangers with you.
18 Let your (S)fountain be blessed,
and (T)rejoice in (U)the wife of your youth,
19 a lovely (V)deer, a graceful doe.
Let her breasts (W)fill you at all times with delight;
be intoxicated[d] always in her love.
20 Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with (X)a forbidden woman
and embrace the bosom of (Y)an adulteress?[e]
21 For (Z)a man's ways are (AA)before the eyes of the Lord,
and he (AB)ponders[f] all his paths.
22 The (AC)iniquities of the wicked (AD)ensnare him,
and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.
23 (AE)He dies for lack of discipline,
and because of his great folly he is (AF)led astray.
Notas al pie
- Proverbs 5:3 Hebrew strange; also verse 20
- Proverbs 5:3 Hebrew palate
- Proverbs 5:5 Hebrew lay hold of
- Proverbs 5:19 Hebrew be led astray; also verse 20
- Proverbs 5:20 Hebrew a foreign woman
- Proverbs 5:21 Or makes level
Proverbs 5:3-23
International Standard Version
3 For the lips of an adulteress drip honey,
and her speech[a] is smoother than oil.
4 But in the end she is as bitter as wormwood,[b]
and as sharp as a double-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead to Sheol.[c]
6 You aren’t thinking about[d] where her life is headed;
her steps wander, but you do not realize[e] it.
7 Now, children,[f] listen to me.
Don’t turn away from what I am saying.[g]
8 Keep[h] 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;[i]
10 so that strangers don’t enrich themselves at your expense,[j]
and your work won’t end up the possession of foreigners.[k]
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,[l]
and my heart rejected correction!
13 I did not obey my teachers
and did not listen[m] to my instructors.
14 Now I am at the point of utter disaster
in[n] the assembly and in the congregation.”
The Delights of Marital Faithfulness
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
and fresh[o] 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[p] always in the Lord’s presence,[q]
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.
Notas al pie
- 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 6:20-35
English Standard Version
Warnings Against Adultery
20 (A)My son, keep your father's commandment,
(B)and forsake not your mother's teaching.
21 (C)Bind them on your heart always;
(D)tie them around your neck.
22 (E)When you walk, they[a] will lead you;
(F)when you lie down, they will (G)watch over you;
and when you awake, they will talk with you.
23 For the commandment is (H)a lamp and the teaching a light,
and the (I)reproofs of discipline are the way of life,
24 to preserve you from the evil woman,[b]
from the smooth tongue of (J)the adulteress.[c]
25 (K)Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
and do not let her capture you with her (L)eyelashes;
26 for (M)the price of a prostitute is only (N)a loaf of bread,[d]
but a married woman[e] (O)hunts down a precious life.
27 Can a man carry (P)fire next to his (Q)chest
and his clothes not be burned?
28 Or can one (R)walk on hot coals
and his feet not be scorched?
29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor's wife;
none who touches her (S)will go unpunished.
30 People do not despise a thief if he steals
to (T)satisfy his appetite when he is hungry,
31 but (U)if he is caught, he will pay (V)sevenfold;
he will give all the goods of his house.
32 He who commits adultery lacks sense;
he who does it destroys himself.
33 He will get wounds and dishonor,
and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
34 For (W)jealousy makes a man furious,
and he will not spare when (X)he takes revenge.
35 He will accept no compensation;
he will refuse though you multiply gifts.
Notas al pie
- Proverbs 6:22 Hebrew it; three times in this verse
- Proverbs 6:24 Revocalization (compare Septuagint) yields from the wife of a neighbor
- Proverbs 6:24 Hebrew the foreign woman
- Proverbs 6:26 Or (compare Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate) for a prostitute leaves a man with nothing but a loaf of bread
- Proverbs 6:26 Hebrew a man's wife
Proverbs 6:20-35
International Standard Version
Parental Counsel about Immorality
20 Keep your father’s commands, my son,
and never forsake your mother’s rules,[a]
21 by binding them to your heart continuously,
fastening them around your neck.
22 During your travels wisdom[b] will lead you;
she will watch over you while you rest;
and when you are startled from your sleep,
she will commune with you.
23 Because the command is a lamp
and the Law a light,
rebukes that discipline are a way of life—
24 to protect you from the evil[c] 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[d] 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[e] 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,[f]
no matter how large the bribe.
Notas al pie
- Proverbs 6:20 Or laws
- Proverbs 6:22 Lit. wisdom; i.e. wisdom personified as a woman
- 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 7:4-27
English Standard Version
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call insight your intimate friend,
5 to keep you from (A)the forbidden[a] woman,
from (B)the adulteress[b] with her smooth words.
6 For at (C)the window of my house
I have looked out through my lattice,
7 and I have seen among (D)the simple,
I have perceived among the youths,
a young man (E)lacking sense,
8 passing along the street (F)near her corner,
taking the road to her house
9 in (G)the twilight, in the evening,
at (H)the time of night and darkness.
10 And behold, the woman meets him,
(I)dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.[c]
11 She is (J)loud and (K)wayward;
(L)her feet do not stay at home;
12 now in the street, now in the market,
and (M)at every corner she (N)lies in wait.
13 She seizes him and kisses him,
and with (O)bold face she says to him,
14 “I had to (P)offer sacrifices,[d]
and today I have (Q)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 (R)coverings,
colored linens from (S)Egyptian linen;
17 I have perfumed my bed with (T)myrrh,
aloes, and (U)cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love till morning;
let us delight ourselves with love.
19 For (V)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 (W)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 (X)a bird rushes into a snare;
he does not know that it will cost him his life.
24 And (Y)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 (Z)a mighty throng.
27 Her house is (AA)the way to Sheol,
going down to the chambers of death.
Notas al pie
- 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
Proverbs 7:4-27
International Standard Version
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[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.
Notas al pie
- 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
English Standard Version
14 The mouth of (A)forbidden[a] women is (B)a deep pit;
(C)he with whom the Lord is angry will fall into it.
Notas al pie
- Proverbs 22:14 Hebrew strange
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
English Standard Version
26 My son, give me your heart,
and let your eyes observe[a] my ways.
27 For a prostitute is (A)a deep pit;
(B)an adulteress[b] is a narrow (C)well.
28 (D)She lies in wait like a robber
and increases the traitors among mankind.
Notas al pie
- Proverbs 23:26 Or delight in
- Proverbs 23:27 Hebrew a foreign woman
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.
Notas al pie
- Proverbs 23:27 Lit. foreign
Proverbs 30:20-23
English Standard Version
20 This is the way of an adulteress:
she eats and wipes her mouth
and says, “I have done no wrong.”
21 Under (A)three things (B)the earth trembles;
under (C)four it cannot bear up:
22 (D)a slave when he becomes king,
and a fool when he is (E)filled with food;
23 (F)an unloved woman when she (G)gets a husband,
and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress.
Proverbs 30:20-23
International Standard Version
20 This is what an immoral woman is like:
she eats, wipes her mouth, then says
“I’ve done nothing wrong.”
21 Under three things the earth trembles,
under four it cannot remain steady:
22 Under a slave when he becomes a king,
a fool when he is overfed,
23 an unloved woman when she finds a husband,
and a servant girl who inherits from her mistress.
Proverbs 31:3
English Standard Version
Proverbs 31:3
International Standard Version
Notas al pie
- Proverbs 31:3 Lit. women
- Proverbs 31:3 Lit. ways
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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