Pro 7 | NASB1995 | STEP | My son , keep my words And treasure my commandments within you.

Proverbs 7

The Wiles of the Harlot

1 My son, ^akeep my words
And treasure my commandments within you.
2 ^bKeep my commandments and live,
And my ^{▼▼ Or law}teaching ^das the ^{▼▼ Lit pupil}apple of your eye.
3 ^fBind them on your fingers;
^gWrite them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your intimate friend;
5 That they may keep you from an ^{▼▼ Lit strange woman}adulteress,
From the foreigner who ^{▼▼ Lit is smooth}flatters with her words.

6 For ^jat the window of my house
I looked out ^kthrough my lattice,
7 And I saw among the ^{▼▼ Lit simple ones
,} ^mnaive,
And discerned among the ^{▼▼ Lit sons}youths
A young man ^olacking ^{▼▼ Lit heart}sense,
8 Passing through the street near ^qher corner;
And he ^{▼▼ Lit steps}takes the way to ^sher house,
9 In the ^ttwilight, in the ^{▼▼ Lit evening of the day}evening,
In the ^{▼▼ Lit pupil (of the eye)}middle of the night and in the darkness.
10 And behold, a woman comes to meet him,
^wDressed as a harlot and cunning of heart.
11 She is ^xboisterous and rebellious,
Her ^yfeet do not remain at home;
12 She is now in the streets, now ^zin the squares,
And ^aalurks by every corner.
13 So she seizes him and kisses him
^{▼▼ Lit She makes bold her face and says}And with a ^acbrazen face she says to him:
14 ^{▼▼ Lit Sacrifices of peace offerings are with me}“I was due to offer ^aepeace offerings;
Today I have ^afpaid my vows.
15 “Therefore I have come out to meet you,
To seek your presence earnestly, and I have found you.
16 “I have spread my couch with ^agcoverings,
With colored ^ahlinens of Egypt.
17 “I have sprinkled my bed
With ^aimyrrh, aloes and ^ajcinnamon.
18 “Come, let us drink our fill of love until morning;
Let us delight ourselves with caresses.
19 “For ^{▼▼ Lit the man}my husband is not at home,
He has gone on a long journey;
20 He has taken a ^albag of money ^{▼▼ Lit in his hand}with him,
At the full moon he will come home.”
21 With her many persuasions she entices him;
With her ^{▼▼ Lit smooth
,} ^aoflattering lips she seduces him.
22 Suddenly he follows her
As an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or as ^{▼▼ Or as a stag goes into a trap; so some ancient versions} one in fetters to the discipline of a fool,
23 Until an arrow pierces through his liver;
As a ^aqbird hastens to the snare,
So he does not know that it will cost him his life.

24 Now therefore, my sons, ^arlisten to me,
And pay attention to the words of my mouth.
25 Do not let your heart ^asturn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths.
26 For many are the ^{▼▼ Lit mortally wounded}victims she has cast down,
And ^aunumerous are all her slain.
27 Her ^avhouse is the way to Sheol,
Descending to the chambers of death.