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Proverbs 5-7
Expanded Bible
Proverbs 5-7
Expanded Bible
Warning About Adultery
5 My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
·listen [L bend your ear] to my words of understanding.
2 ·Be careful to use good sense [or So you might keep discrete]
and ·watch what you say [L your lips might protect knowledge].
3 The ·words of another man’s wife [lips of an immoral/L strange woman] may ·seem sweet as [L drip like] honey;
·they [L her tongue/palette] may be as smooth as olive oil.
4 But in the end she ·will bring you sorrow [L is bitter like wormwood],
·causing you pain [L sharp] like a two-edged sword.
5 ·She is on the way [L Her feet go down] to death;
her steps ·are headed straight [or grab on] to ·the grave [L Sheol].
6 She gives little thought to the path of life.
·She doesn’t even know that her ways are wrong [L Her paths wander and she does not even realize it].
7 Now, my sons, listen to me,
and don’t ·ignore what I say [L turn aside from the speeches of my mouth].
8 ·Stay away from such a woman [L Keep your path far from her].
Don’t even go near the ·door [entrance] of her house,
9 or you will give your ·riches [honor; or vitality; vigor] to others,
and the best years of your life will be given to someone cruel.
10 Strangers will ·enjoy your wealth [or sap your strength],
and what you worked so hard for will ·go to someone else [L end up in the house of a foreigner].
11 You will groan at the end of your life
when your ·health is gone [L body and flesh are exhausted].
12 Then you will say, “I hated ·being told what to do [instruction; discipline]!
·I would not listen to [L My heart despised] correction!
13 I would not listen to my teachers
or ·pay attention [extend my heart] to my instructors.
14 I ·came [or am] close to being completely ruined
in front of ·a whole group of people [L the assembled congregation].”
15 ·Be faithful to your own wife [L Drink water from your own well; Song 4:10–15],
·just as you drink [L gushing] water from your own ·well [cistern].
16 Don’t ·pour your water in the streets [L let your fountains burst forth outside];
·don’t give your love to just any woman [L streams of water in the public squares].
17 These things are yours alone
and shouldn’t be shared with strangers.
18 ·Be happy with the wife you married when you were young [L Rejoice in the wife of your youth].
·She gives you joy, as your fountain gives you water [L May your spring be blessed].
19 She is a lovely deer and a graceful doe.
Let her ·love [or breasts] always make you happy;
let her love always ·hold you captive [intoxicate/inebriate you; Song 4:10].
20 My son, ·don’t be held captive [L why should you be intoxicated/inebriated…?] by a ·woman who takes part in adultery [L stranger].
Don’t fondle the bosom of a ·woman who is not your wife [L foreigner].
21 The ·Lord sees everything you do [L eyes of the Lord are on the path of every person],
and he watches ·where you go [L all their ways].
22 An evil man will be ·caught [captured] in his wicked ways;
the ropes of his sins will tie him up.
23 He will die ·because he does not control himself [L without discipline/instruction],
and he will be ·held captive [or intoxicated; inebriated] by his ·foolishness [stupidity].
Dangers of Being Foolish
6 My ·child [L son], ·be careful about giving [L if you make] a guarantee for ·somebody else’s loan [L your neighbor/friend],
·about promising to pay what someone else owes [L shaking hands with a stranger in agreement; 11:15; 17:18; 20:16; 22:26; 27:13].
2 You ·might [or will] get trapped by what you say;
you ·might [or will] be caught by ·your own words [or what you say].
3 My ·child [L son], if you have done this and are under your ·neighbor’s [or friend’s] control,
here is how to ·get free [extricate yourself].
·Don’t be proud [L Humble yourself]. Go to your ·neighbor [or friend]
and ·beg to be free from your promise [L press/urge your neighbor/friend].
4 Don’t ·go to [L let your eyes] sleep
or ·even rest your eyes [L let your eyelids/pupils slumber],
5 but ·free [extricate] yourself like a ·deer [gazelle] running from ·a hunter [L his hand],
like a bird flying away from a ·trapper [fowler].
6 Go watch the ants, you lazy person.
Watch ·what they do [L its paths] and ·be [or become] wise.
7 Ants have no commander,
no leader or ruler,
8 but they ·store up [get their] food in the summer
and gather their ·supplies [provisions] at harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, you lazy person?
When will you get up from sleeping?
10 ·You sleep a little; you take a nap [L “A little sleep, a little slumber”].
·You fold your hands and [L “A little folding of the arms to…”] lie down to rest.
11 So ·you will be as poor as if you had been robbed [L poverty will come on you like a robber];
·you will have as little as if you had been held up [L deprivation like a shielded warrior].
12 Some people are ·wicked and no good [worthless and guilty].
They go around ·telling lies [L with crooked mouths],
13 winking with their eyes, ·tapping with [or scraping] their feet,
and ·making signs [pointing; gesturing] with their fingers [C a reference to secretive plans or even magic].
14 They ·make evil plans in their hearts [L are perverse in their hearts and determined to do evil]
and are always starting ·arguments [conflicts].
15 So ·trouble [disaster] will strike them in an instant;
suddenly they will be so ·hurt [L broken] no one can ·help [L heal] them.
16 There are six things the Lord hates.
There are seven things ·he cannot stand [L that are an abomination to his soul]:
17 ·a proud look [haughty eyes],
a lying tongue,
hands that ·kill [L spill the blood of] innocent people,
18 a ·mind [heart] that thinks up evil plans,
feet that are quick to ·do [L run to] evil,
19 a witness who lies,
and someone who starts ·arguments [conflicts; fights] among·families [brothers; Ps. 133].
Warning About Adultery
20 My son, ·keep [protect] your father’s commands,
and don’t ·forget [L abandon; forsake] your mother’s ·teaching [instruction].
21 ·Keep their words in mind [L Bind them to your heart] forever
·as though you had them tied [fasten them] around your neck.
22 They will ·guide [lead] you when you walk.
They will ·guard [protect] you when you sleep.
They will ·speak to you [or occupy your attention] when you are awake.
23 These commands are like a lamp;
this ·teaching [instruction] is like a light [C making things clear].
And ·the correction that comes from them [L disciplined correction]
·will help you have [L is the path of] life.
24 They will ·keep [guard] you from ·sinful women [the evil woman]
and from the ·pleasing words [L flattering tongue] of ·another man’s unfaithful wife [L the foreign woman].
25 Don’t desire her because she is beautiful.
Don’t let her capture you by ·the way she looks at you [L her eyelashes].
26 A prostitute will ·treat you like [or cost you] a loaf of bread,
·and [or but] a ·woman who takes part in adultery [married woman] ·may cost you [L hunts; stalks] your life.
27 You cannot ·carry [or scoop] hot coals ·against your chest [or into your lap]
without burning your clothes,
28 and you cannot walk on hot coals
without burning your feet.
29 The same is true if you ·have sexual relations with [L go to] ·another man’s wife [L the wife of a neighbor/friend].
·Anyone who does so will be punished [L All who touch her will not go unpunished].
30 People don’t ·hate [despise] a thief
when he steals because he is hungry.
31 But if he is caught, he must pay back ·seven times what he stole [L sevenfold],
and ·it may cost him everything he owns [L he must give the riches of his house].
32 A man who takes part in adultery ·has no sense [L lacks heart];
he will destroy himself.
33 He will ·be beaten up and disgraced [L find affliction and scorn],
and his ·shame [reproach] will never ·go away [L be blotted out].
34 Jealousy makes a husband very angry,
and he will ·have no pity [not forgive] when he gets revenge.
35 He will accept no payment for the wrong;
he will ·take no amount of money [not take a bribe no matter how large].
The Woman of Adultery
7 My son, ·remember what I say [guard my speech], and ·treasure [store/hide in you] my commands.
2 ·Obey [Guard] my commands, and you will live.
Guard my ·teachings [instructions] ·as you would your own [L like the apple of your] eyes.
3 ·Remind yourself of them [L Bind them on your fingers];
write them on your heart as if on a tablet.
4 ·Treat wisdom as a sister [L Say to Wisdom, “You are my sister”; 1:20–33; 8:1—9:6],
and ·make understanding your closest friend [L call Understanding “Friend”].
5 ·Wisdom and understanding [L She] will ·keep you away [guard you] from ·adultery [L the strange woman],
away from the ·unfaithful wife [L foreign woman] and her ·pleasing [flattering] words.
6 Once while I was at the window of my house
I looked out through the ·shutters [lattice; curtains]
7 and saw some ·foolish [simpleminded; immature; naive], young men.
I noticed one of them ·had no wisdom [had no sense; L lacked heart].
8 He was ·walking down [crossing] the street near the corner
on the road leading to her house.
9 It was the twilight of the evening;
the darkness of the night was just beginning.
10 Then the woman ·approached [or propositioned] him,
dressed like a prostitute
and ·planning to trick him [L with a guarded heart].
11 She was ·loud [boisterous; noisy] and ·stubborn [defiant]
and ·never stayed at [L her feet do not rest in her own] home.
12 ·She was always out [L A foot] in the streets ·or in [L a foot in] the city squares,
·waiting around [lurking] on the corners of the streets.
13 She grabbed him and kissed him.
·Without shame [L Her face was brazen as] she said to him,
14 “I made my fellowship offering [Lev. 3; 7:11–21; C the offerer ate the meat of the offering].
Today I have ·kept [paid back] my ·special promises [vows].
15 So I have come out to meet you;
I have been ·looking for you [L seeking your face] and have found you.
16 I have ·covered [ornamented] my bed
with colored sheets from Egypt.
17 I have ·made my bed smell sweet [L sprinkled my bed]
with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s ·make [be intoxicated with] love until morning.
Let’s ·enjoy each other’s [rejoice in] love.
19 My husband is not home;
he has gone on a ·long [faraway] trip.
20 He took a ·lot of money with him [L pouch of money in his hand]
and won’t be home ·for weeks [L until the new moon].”
21 By her clever words she ·made him give in [seduces him];
by ·her pleasing words [L the flattery of her lips] she ·led him into doing wrong [persuades/compels him].
22 All at once he followed her,
like an ox led to the ·butcher [slaughter],
like a ·deer caught in a trap [or fool to the stocks]
23 ·and shot through the liver with an arrow [until an arrow pierces his liver].
Like a bird ·caught in [L hurrying to] a trap,
he didn’t know ·what he did would kill him [it would cost him his life].
24 Now, my sons, listen to me;
pay attention to ·what I say [L the speech of my mouth].
25 Don’t ·let yourself be tricked by such a woman [L turn your heart to her paths];
don’t ·go where she leads you [wander onto her paths].
26 She has ·ruined many good men [L caused many corpses to fall],
and many ·have died because of her [are those she has killed].
27 Her house is on the ·road [path] to ·death [L Sheol; C the grave or the underworld],
·the road that leads down to the grave [L going down to the chambers of death].
Proverbs 5-7
New International Version
Proverbs 5-7
New International Version
Warning Against Adultery
5 My son,(A) pay attention to my wisdom,
turn your ear to my words(B) of insight,
2 that you may maintain discretion
and your lips may preserve knowledge.
3 For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil;(C)
4 but in the end she is bitter as gall,(D)
sharp as a double-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead straight to the grave.(E)
6 She gives no thought to the way of life;
her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it.(F)
7 Now then, my sons, listen(G) to me;
do not turn aside from what I say.
8 Keep to a path far from her,(H)
do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you lose your honor to others
and your dignity[a] to one who is cruel,
10 lest strangers feast on your wealth
and your toil enrich the house of another.(I)
11 At the end of your life you will groan,
when your flesh and body are spent.
12 You will say, “How I hated discipline!
How my heart spurned correction!(J)
13 I would not obey my teachers
or turn my ear to my instructors.
14 And I was soon in serious trouble(K)
in the assembly of God’s people.”(L)
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
running water from your own well.
16 Should your springs overflow in the streets,
your streams of water in the public squares?
17 Let them be yours alone,
never to be shared with strangers.
18 May your fountain(M) be blessed,
and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.(N)
19 A loving doe, a graceful deer(O)—
may her breasts satisfy you always,
may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
20 Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife?
Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?
21 For your ways are in full view(P) of the Lord,
and he examines(Q) all your paths.(R)
22 The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them;(S)
the cords of their sins hold them fast.(T)
23 For lack of discipline they will die,(U)
led astray by their own great folly.(V)
Warnings Against Folly
6 My son,(W) if you have put up security(X) for your neighbor,(Y)
if you have shaken hands in pledge(Z) for a stranger,
2 you have been trapped by what you said,
ensnared by the words of your mouth.
3 So do this, my son, to free yourself,
since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands:
Go—to the point of exhaustion—[b]
and give your neighbor no rest!
4 Allow no sleep to your eyes,
no slumber to your eyelids.(AA)
5 Free yourself, like a gazelle(AB) from the hand of the hunter,(AC)
like a bird from the snare of the fowler.(AD)
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard;(AE)
consider its ways and be wise!
7 It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
8 yet it stores its provisions in summer(AF)
and gathers its food at harvest.(AG)
9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard?(AH)
When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest(AI)—
11 and poverty(AJ) will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man.
12 A troublemaker and a villain,
who goes about with a corrupt mouth,
13 who winks maliciously with his eye,(AK)
signals with his feet
and motions with his fingers,(AL)
14 who plots evil(AM) with deceit in his heart—
he always stirs up conflict.(AN)
15 Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant;(AO)
he will suddenly(AP) be destroyed—without remedy.(AQ)
16 There are six things the Lord hates,(AR)
seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes,(AS)
a lying tongue,(AT)
hands that shed innocent blood,(AU)
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,(AV)
19 a false witness(AW) who pours out lies(AX)
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.(AY)
Warning Against Adultery
20 My son,(AZ) keep your father’s command
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.(BA)
21 Bind them always on your heart;
fasten them around your neck.(BB)
22 When you walk, they will guide you;
when you sleep, they will watch over you;
when you awake, they will speak to you.
23 For this command is a lamp,
this teaching is a light,(BC)
and correction and instruction
are the way to life,(BD)
24 keeping you from your neighbor’s wife,
from the smooth talk of a wayward woman.(BE)
25 Do not lust in your heart after her beauty
or let her captivate you with her eyes.
26 For a prostitute can be had for a loaf of bread,
but another man’s wife preys on your very life.(BF)
27 Can a man scoop fire into his lap
without his clothes being burned?
28 Can a man walk on hot coals
without his feet being scorched?
29 So is he who sleeps(BG) with another man’s wife;(BH)
no one who touches her will go unpunished.
30 People do not despise a thief if he steals
to satisfy his hunger when he is starving.
31 Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold,(BI)
though it costs him all the wealth of his house.
32 But a man who commits adultery(BJ) has no sense;(BK)
whoever does so destroys himself.
33 Blows and disgrace are his lot,
and his shame will never(BL) be wiped away.
34 For jealousy(BM) arouses a husband’s fury,(BN)
and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.
35 He will not accept any compensation;
he will refuse a bribe, however great it is.(BO)
Warning Against the Adulterous Woman
7 My son,(BP) keep my words
and store up my commands within you.
2 Keep my commands and you will live;(BQ)
guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
3 Bind them on your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.(BR)
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and to insight, “You are my relative.”
5 They will keep you from the adulterous woman,
from the wayward woman with her seductive words.(BS)
6 At the window of my house
I looked down through the lattice.
7 I saw among the simple,
I noticed among the young men,
a youth who had no sense.(BT)
8 He was going down the street near her corner,
walking along in the direction of her house
9 at twilight,(BU) as the day was fading,
as the dark of night set in.
10 Then out came a woman to meet him,
dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.
11 (She is unruly(BV) and defiant,
her feet never stay at home;
12 now in the street, now in the squares,
at every corner she lurks.)(BW)
13 She took hold of him(BX) and kissed him
and with a brazen face she said:(BY)
14 “Today I fulfilled my vows,
and I have food from my fellowship offering(BZ) at home.
15 So I came out to meet you;
I looked for you and have found you!
16 I have covered my bed
with colored linens from Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed(CA)
with myrrh,(CB) aloes and cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning;
let’s enjoy ourselves with love!(CC)
19 My husband is not at home;
he has gone on a long journey.
20 He took his purse filled with money
and will not be home till full moon.”
21 With persuasive words she led him astray;
she seduced him with her smooth talk.(CD)
22 All at once he followed her
like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer[c] stepping into a noose[d](CE)
23 till an arrow pierces(CF) his liver,
like a bird darting into a snare,
little knowing it will cost him his life.(CG)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 5:9 Or years
- Proverbs 6:3 Or Go and humble yourself,
- Proverbs 7:22 Syriac (see also Septuagint); Hebrew fool
- Proverbs 7:22 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
Proverbs 5-7
King James Version
Proverbs 5-7
King James Version
5 My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:
2 That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.
3 For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:
4 But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.
6 Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.
7 Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.
8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:
9 Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:
10 Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;
11 And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,
12 And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;
13 And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!
14 I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.
15 Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.
16 Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets.
17 Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee.
18 Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.
19 Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.
20 And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?
21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings.
22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.
23 He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
6 My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,
2 Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.
3 Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.
4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.
5 Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
12 A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.
13 He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;
14 Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.
15 Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.
16 These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
20 My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
21 Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.
22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
24 To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
25 Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.
26 For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adultress will hunt for the precious life.
27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?
28 Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?
29 So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.
30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;
31 But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.
32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.
33 A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35 He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.
7 My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.
3 Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.
4 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:
5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.
6 For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,
7 And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,
8 Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,
9 In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:
10 And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.
11 (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:
12 Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)
13 So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him,
14 I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.
15 Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.
16 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.
19 For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey:
20 He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed.
21 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.
22 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;
23 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.
24 Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.
26 For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.
27 Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.
Proverbs 5-7
New King James Version
Proverbs 5-7
New King James Version
The Peril of Adultery
5 My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
[a]Lend your ear to my understanding,
2 That you may [b]preserve discretion,
And your lips (A)may keep knowledge.
3 (B)For the lips of [c]an immoral woman drip honey,
And her mouth is (C)smoother than oil;
4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
Sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death,
(D)Her steps lay hold of [d]hell.
6 Lest you ponder her path of life—
Her ways are unstable;
You do not know them.
7 Therefore hear me now, my children,
And do not depart from the words of my mouth.
8 Remove your way far from her,
And do not go near the door of her house,
9 Lest you give your [e]honor to others,
And your years to the cruel one;
10 Lest aliens be filled with your [f]wealth,
And your labors go to the house of a foreigner;
11 And you mourn at last,
When your flesh and your body are consumed,
12 And say:
“How I have hated instruction,
And my heart despised correction!
13 I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers,
Nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me!
14 I was on the verge of total ruin,
In the midst of the assembly and congregation.”
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
And running water from your own well.
16 Should your fountains be dispersed abroad,
[g]Streams of water in the streets?
17 Let them be only your own,
And not for strangers with you.
18 Let your fountain be blessed,
And rejoice with (E)the wife of your youth.
19 (F)As a loving deer and a graceful doe,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
And always be [h]enraptured with her love.
20 For why should you, my son, be enraptured by (G)an immoral woman,
And be embraced in the arms of a seductress?
21 (H)For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord,
And He [i]ponders all his paths.
22 (I)His own iniquities entrap the wicked man,
And he is caught in the cords of his sin.
23 (J)He shall die for lack of instruction,
And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
Dangerous Promises
6 My son, (K)if you become [j]surety for your friend,
If you have [k]shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,
2 You are snared by the words of your mouth;
You are taken by the words of your mouth.
3 So do this, my son, and deliver yourself;
For you have come into the hand of your friend:
Go and humble yourself;
Plead with your friend.
4 (L)Give no sleep to your eyes,
Nor slumber to your eyelids.
5 Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
And like a bird from the hand of the [l]fowler.
The Folly of Indolence
6 (M)Go to the ant, you sluggard!
Consider her ways and be wise,
7 Which, having no [m]captain,
Overseer or ruler,
8 Provides her [n]supplies in the summer,
And gathers her food in the harvest.
9 (N)How long will you [o]slumber, O sluggard?
When will you rise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep—
11 (O)So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,
And your need like an armed man.
The Wicked Man
12 A worthless person, a wicked man,
Walks with a perverse mouth;
13 (P)He winks with his eyes,
He [p]shuffles his feet,
He points with his fingers;
14 Perversity is in his heart,
(Q)He devises evil continually,
(R)He sows discord.
15 Therefore his calamity shall come (S)suddenly;
Suddenly he shall (T)be broken (U)without remedy.
16 These six things the Lord hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to [q]Him:
17 (V)A[r] proud look,
(W)A lying tongue,
(X)Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 (Y)A heart that devises wicked plans,
(Z)Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 (AA)A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who (AB)sows discord among brethren.
Beware of Adultery
20 (AC)My son, keep your father’s command,
And do not forsake the law of your mother.
21 (AD)Bind them continually upon your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
22 (AE)When you roam, [s]they will lead you;
When you sleep, (AF)they will keep you;
And when you awake, they will speak with you.
23 (AG)For the commandment is a lamp,
And the law a light;
Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,
24 (AH)To keep you from the evil woman,
From the flattering tongue of a seductress.
25 (AI)Do not lust after her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her allure you with her eyelids.
26 For (AJ)by means of a harlot
A man is reduced to a crust of bread;
(AK)And [t]an adulteress will (AL)prey upon his precious life.
27 Can a man take fire to his bosom,
And his clothes not be burned?
28 Can one walk on hot coals,
And his feet not be seared?
29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her shall not be innocent.
30 People do not despise a thief
If he steals to satisfy himself when he is starving.
31 Yet when he is found, (AM)he must restore sevenfold;
He may have to give up all the substance of his house.
32 Whoever commits adultery with a woman (AN)lacks understanding;
He who does so destroys his own soul.
33 Wounds and dishonor he will get,
And his reproach will not be wiped away.
34 For (AO)jealousy is a husband’s fury;
Therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35 He will [u]accept no recompense,
Nor will he be appeased though you give many gifts.
The Wiles of a Harlot
7 My son, keep my words,
And (AP)treasure my commands within you.
2 (AQ)Keep my commands and live,
(AR)And my law as the apple of your eye.
3 (AS)Bind them on your fingers;
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your nearest kin,
5 (AT)That they may keep you from the immoral woman,
From the seductress who flatters with her words.
The Crafty Harlot
6 For at the window of my house
I looked through my lattice,
7 And saw among the simple,
I perceived among the [v]youths,
A young man (AU)devoid[w] of understanding,
8 Passing along the street near her corner;
And he took the path to her house
9 (AV)In the twilight, in the evening,
In the black and dark night.
10 And there a woman met him,
With the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart.
11 (AW)She was loud and rebellious,
(AX)Her feet would not stay at home.
12 At times she was outside, at times in the open square,
Lurking at every corner.
13 So she caught him and kissed him;
With an [x]impudent face she said to him:
14 “I have peace offerings with me;
Today I have paid my vows.
15 So I came out to meet you,
Diligently to seek your face,
And I have found you.
16 I have spread my bed with tapestry,
Colored coverings of (AY)Egyptian linen.
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 [y]my husband is not at home;
He has gone on a long journey;
20 He has taken a bag of money [z]with him,
And will come home [aa]on the appointed day.”
21 [ab]With (AZ)her enticing speech she caused him to yield,
(BA)With her flattering lips she [ac]seduced him.
22 Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or [ad]as a fool to the correction of the [ae]stocks,
23 Till an arrow struck his liver.
(BB)As a bird hastens to the snare,
He did not know it [af]would cost his life.
24 Now therefore, listen to me, my children;
Pay attention to the words of my mouth:
25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths;
26 For she has cast down many wounded,
And (BC)all who were slain by her were strong men.
27 (BD)Her house is the way to [ag]hell,
Descending to the chambers of death.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 5:1 Lit. Bow
- Proverbs 5:2 appreciate good judgment
- Proverbs 5:3 Lit. a strange
- Proverbs 5:5 Or Sheol
- Proverbs 5:9 vigor
- Proverbs 5:10 Lit. strength
- Proverbs 5:16 Channels
- Proverbs 5:19 Lit. intoxicated
- Proverbs 5:21 observes, lit. weighs
- Proverbs 6:1 guaranty or collateral
- Proverbs 6:1 Lit. struck
- Proverbs 6:5 One who catches birds in a trap or snare
- Proverbs 6:7 Lit. leader
- Proverbs 6:8 Lit. bread
- Proverbs 6:9 Lit. lie down
- Proverbs 6:13 gives signals, lit. scrapes
- Proverbs 6:16 Lit. His soul
- Proverbs 6:17 Lit. Haughty eyes
- Proverbs 6:22 Lit. it
- Proverbs 6:26 Wife of another, lit. a man’s wife
- Proverbs 6:35 Lit. lift up the face of any
- Proverbs 7:7 Lit. sons
- Proverbs 7:7 lacking
- Proverbs 7:13 shameless
- Proverbs 7:19 Lit. the man
- Proverbs 7:20 Lit. in his hand
- Proverbs 7:20 at the full moon
- Proverbs 7:21 By the greatness of her words
- Proverbs 7:21 compelled
- Proverbs 7:22 LXX, Syr., Tg. as a dog to bonds; Vg. as a lamb . . . to bonds
- Proverbs 7:22 shackles
- Proverbs 7:23 Lit. is for
- Proverbs 7:27 Or Sheol
Expanded Bible (EXB)
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New King James Version (NKJV) 
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