Proverbs 5:3-23
New American Standard Bible
3 For the lips of an [a](A)adulteress (B)drip honey,
And her [b]speech is (C)smoother than oil;
4 But in the end she is (D)bitter as wormwood,
(E)Sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet (F)go down to death,
Her steps take hold of Sheol.
6 [c]She does not ponder the (G)path of life;
Her ways are (H)unstable, she (I)does not know it.
7 (J)Now then, my sons, listen to me
And (K)do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
8 (L)Keep your way far from her,
And do not go near the (M)door of her house,
9 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 (N)hated instruction!
And my heart (O)disdainfully rejected rebuke!
13 I did not listen to the voice of my (P)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 (Q)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 (R)fountain be blessed,
And (S)rejoice in the (T)wife of your youth.
19 Like a loving (U)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](V)adulteress,
And embrace the breasts of a (W)foreigner?
21 For the (X)ways of everyone are before the eyes of the Lord,
And He (Y)observes all his paths.
22 His (Z)own wrongdoings will trap the wicked,
And he will be held by the ropes of his sin.
23 He will (AA)die for lack of instruction,
And in the greatness of his foolishness he will go astray.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 5:3 Lit strange woman
- Proverbs 5:3 Lit palate
- Proverbs 5:6 Lit That she not watch
- Proverbs 5:11 Or at
- Proverbs 5:11 Lit your end
- Proverbs 5:15 Lit flowing
- Proverbs 5:19 Lit intoxicated
- Proverbs 5:20 Lit strange woman
Proverbs 5:3-23
Holman Christian Standard Bible
3 Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey
and her words are[a] smoother than oil,
4 in the end she’s as bitter as wormwood(A)
and as sharp as a double-edged sword.(B)
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps head straight for Sheol.(C)
6 She doesn’t consider the path of life;
she doesn’t know that her ways are unstable.
7 So now, my sons, listen to me,
and don’t turn away from the words of my mouth.(D)
8 Keep your way far from her.
Don’t go near the door of her house.(E)
9 Otherwise, you will give up your vitality to others
and your years to someone cruel;
10 strangers will drain your resources,
and your earnings will end up in a foreigner’s house.
11 At the end of your life, you will lament
when your physical body has been consumed,
12 and you will say, “How I hated discipline,
and how my heart despised correction.(F)
13 I didn’t obey my teachers
or listen closely[b] to my mentors.
14 I am on the verge of complete ruin
before the entire community.”
Enjoy Marriage
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
water flowing from your own well.(G)
16 Should your springs flow in the streets,
streams of water in the public squares?(H)
17 They should be for you alone
and not for you to share with strangers.
18 Let your fountain be blessed,
and take pleasure in the wife of your youth.(I)
19 A loving doe, a graceful fawn—
let her breasts always satisfy you;(J)
be lost in her love forever.
20 Why, my son, would you be infatuated
with a forbidden woman
or embrace the breast of a stranger?(K)
21 For a man’s ways are before the Lord’s eyes,(L)
and He considers all his paths.(M)
22 A wicked man’s iniquities entrap him;(N)
he is entangled in the ropes of his own sin.(O)
23 He will die because there is no discipline,(P)
and be lost because of his great stupidity.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 5:3 Lit her palate is
- Proverbs 5:13 Lit or turn my ear
Proverbs 6:20-35
New American Standard Bible
20 (A)My son, comply with the commandment of your father,
And do not ignore the [a]teaching of your mother;
21 (B)Bind them continually on your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
22 When you (C)walk, [b]they will guide you;
When you sleep, [c]they will watch over you;
And when you awake, [d]they will talk to you.
23 For (D)the commandment is a lamp and the [e]teaching is light;
And rebukes for discipline are the way of life
24 To (E)keep you from the evil woman,
From the smooth tongue of the foreign woman.
25 (F)Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her capture you with her (G)eyelids.
26 For (H)the price of a prostitute reduces one to a loaf of bread,
And [f]an adulteress (I)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 (J)goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her (K)will not [g]go unpunished.
30 People do not despise a thief if he steals
To (L)satisfy [h]himself when he is hungry;
31 But when he is found, he must (M)repay seven times as much;
He must give up all the property of his house.
32 One who commits adultery with a woman is (N)lacking [i]sense;
He who would (O)destroy [j]himself commits it.
33 He will find wounds and disgrace,
And his shame will not be removed.
34 For (P)jealousy [k]enrages a man,
And he will not have compassion on the (Q)day of vengeance.
35 He will not [l]accept any settlement,
Nor will he be [m]satisfied though you make it a large gift.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 6:20 Or law
- Proverbs 6:22 Lit she
- Proverbs 6:22 Lit she
- Proverbs 6:22 Lit she
- Proverbs 6:23 Or law
- Proverbs 6:26 Lit a man’s wife
- Proverbs 6:29 Lit be innocent
- Proverbs 6:30 Lit his soul
- Proverbs 6:32 Lit heart
- Proverbs 6:32 Lit his soul
- Proverbs 6:34 Lit is the rage of
- Proverbs 6:35 Lit lift up the face of any
- Proverbs 6:35 Lit willing
Proverbs 6:20-35
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Warning against Adultery
20 My son, keep your father’s command,
and don’t reject your mother’s teaching.(A)
21 Always bind them to your heart;
tie them around your neck.(B)
22 When you walk here and there, they will guide you;
when you lie down, they will watch over you;
when you wake up, they will talk to you.
23 For a command is a lamp, teaching is a light,(C)
and corrective discipline is the way to life.(D)
24 They will protect you from an evil woman,[a]
from the flattering[b] tongue of a stranger.(E)
25 Don’t lust in your heart for her beauty(F)
or let her captivate you with her eyelashes.(G)
26 For a prostitute’s fee is only a loaf of bread,[c]
but an adulteress[d] goes after a precious life.(H)
27 Can a man embrace fire[e]
and his clothes not be burned?
28 Can a man walk on burning coals
without scorching his feet?
29 So it is with the one who sleeps with
another man’s wife;
no one who touches her will go unpunished.(I)
30 People don’t despise the thief if he steals
to satisfy himself when he is hungry.(J)
31 Still, if caught, he must pay seven times as much;(K)
he must give up all the wealth in his house.
32 The one who commits adultery[f] lacks sense;
whoever does so destroys himself.(L)
33 He will get a beating[g] and dishonor,
and his disgrace will never be removed.
34 For jealousy enrages a husband,(M)
and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.
35 He will not be appeased by anything
or be persuaded by lavish gifts.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 6:24 LXX reads from a married woman
- Proverbs 6:24 Lit smooth
- Proverbs 6:26 Or On account of a prostitute, [one is left with] only a loaf of bread
- Proverbs 6:26 Lit but a wife of a man
- Proverbs 6:27 Lit man take fire to his bosom
- Proverbs 6:32 Lit commits adultery with a woman
- Proverbs 6:33 Or plague
Proverbs 7:4-27
New American Standard Bible
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your intimate friend,
5 So that they may keep you from an [a]adulteress,
From the foreigner who flatters with her words.
6 For (A)at the window of my house
I looked out (B)through my lattice,
7 And I saw among the (C)naive,
And discerned among the [b]youths
A young man (D)lacking [c]sense,
8 Passing through the street near (E)her corner;
And he walks along the way to (F)her house,
9 In the (G)twilight, in the [d]evening,
In the [e]middle of the night and the darkness.
10 And behold, a woman comes to meet him,
(H)Dressed as a prostitute and cunning of heart.
11 She is (I)boisterous and rebellious,
Her (J)feet do not remain at home;
12 She is now in the streets, now (K)in the public squares,
And (L)lurks by every corner.
13 So she seizes him and kisses him,
[f]And with a (M)brazen face she says to him:
14 “[g]I was due to offer (N)peace offerings;
Today I have (O)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 (P)coverings,
With colored (Q)linens of Egypt.
17 I have sprinkled my bed
With (R)myrrh, aloes, and (S)cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s drink our fill of love until morning;
Let’s delight ourselves with caresses.
19 For [h]my husband is not at home;
He has gone on a long journey.
20 He has taken a (T)bag of money [i]with him.
At the full moon he will come home.”
21 With her many persuasions she entices him;
With her [j](U)flattering lips she seduces him.
22 Suddenly he follows her
As an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or as [k]one walks in ankle bracelets to the discipline of a fool,
23 Until an arrow pierces through his liver;
As a (V)bird hurries to the snare,
So he does not know that it will cost him his life.
24 Now therefore, my sons, (W)listen to me,
And pay attention to the words of my mouth.
25 Do not let your heart (X)turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths.
26 For many are the [l]victims she has brought to ruin,
And (Y)numerous are all those slaughtered by her.
27 Her (Z)house is the way to Sheol,
Descending to the chambers of death.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 7:5 Lit strange woman
- Proverbs 7:7 Lit sons
- Proverbs 7:7 Lit heart
- Proverbs 7:9 Lit evening of the day
- Proverbs 7:9 Lit pupil (of the eye)
- Proverbs 7:13 Lit She makes bold her face and says
- Proverbs 7:14 Lit Sacrifices of peace offerings are with me
- Proverbs 7:19 Lit the man
- Proverbs 7:20 Lit in his hand
- Proverbs 7:21 Lit smooth
- Proverbs 7:22 Or as a stag goes into a trap; as in some ancient versions, Heb is uncertain
- Proverbs 7:26 Lit wounded
Proverbs 7:4-27
Holman Christian Standard Bible
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”(A)
and call understanding your relative.
5 She will keep you from a forbidden woman,
a stranger with her flattering talk.(B)
A Story of Seduction
6 At the window of my house
I looked through my lattice.(C)
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.(D)
10 A woman came to meet him
dressed like a prostitute,(E)
having a hidden agenda.[b]
11 She is loud and defiant;(F)
her feet do not stay at home.(G)
12 Now in the street, now in the squares,(H)
she lurks at every corner.(I)
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.(J)
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(K)—
richly colored linen from Egypt.(L)
17 I’ve perfumed my bed
with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.(M)
18 Come, let’s drink deeply of lovemaking until morning.(N)
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,(O)
like a bird darting into a snare(P)—
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.(Q)
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.(R)
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 22:14
New American Standard Bible
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.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 22:14 Lit strange woman
- Proverbs 22:14 Lit there
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 23:26-28
New American Standard Bible
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.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 23:26 Another reading is observe
- Proverbs 23:27 Lit foreign
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 30:20-23
New American Standard Bible
20 This is the way of an (A)adulterous woman:
She eats and wipes her mouth,
And says, “I have done no wrong.”
21 Under three things the earth quakes,
And under four, it cannot endure:
22 Under a (B)slave when he becomes king,
And a fool when he is satisfied with food,
23 Under an unloved woman when she gets a husband,
And a female servant when she dispossesses her mistress.
Proverbs 30:20-23
Holman Christian Standard Bible
20 This is the way of an adulteress:
she eats and wipes her mouth
and says, “I’ve done nothing wrong.”(A)
21 The earth trembles under three things;
it cannot bear up under four:
22 a servant when he becomes king,(B)
a fool when he is stuffed with food,
23 an unloved woman when she marries,(C)
and a servant girl when she ousts her queen.
Proverbs 31:3
New American Standard Bible
Proverbs 31:3
Holman Christian Standard Bible
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