Proverbs 7

The Lures of the Prostitute

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 So that they may keep you from an ▼

▼Lit strange woman

adulteress,
From the foreigner who flatters with her words.

6 For ⁱat the window of my house
I looked out ^jthrough my lattice,
7 And I saw among the ^knaive,
And discerned among the ▼

▼Lit sons

youths
A young man ^mlacking ▼

▼Lit heart

sense,
8 Passing through the street near ^oher corner;
And he walks along the way to ^pher house,
9 In the ^qtwilight, in the ▼

▼Lit evening of the day

evening,
In the ▼

▼Lit pupil (of the eye)

middle of the night and the darkness.
10 And behold, a woman comes to meet him,
^tDressed as a prostitute and cunning of heart.
11 She is ^uboisterous and rebellious,
Her ^vfeet do not remain at home;
12 She is now in the streets, now ^win the public squares,
And ^xlurks by every corner.
13 So she seizes him and kisses him,
▼

▼Lit She makes bold her face and says

And with a ^zbrazen face she says to him:
14 “ ▼

▼Lit Sacrifices of peace offerings are with me

I was due to offer ^abpeace offerings;
Today I have ^acpaid 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 ^adcoverings,
With colored ^aelinens of Egypt.
17 “I have sprinkled my bed
With ^afmyrrh, aloes, and ^agcinnamon.
18 “Come, let’s drink our fill of love until morning;
Let’s 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 ^aibag 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

, ^alflattering 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; as in some ancient versions, Heb is uncertain

one walks in ankle bracelets to the discipline of a fool,
23 Until an arrow pierces through his liver;
As a ^anbird hurries to the snare,
So he does not know that it will cost him his life.

24 Now therefore, my sons, ^aolisten to me,
And pay attention to the words of my mouth.
25 Do not let your heart ^apturn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths.
26 For many are the ▼

▼Lit wounded

victims she has brought to ruin,
And ^arnumerous are all those slaughtered by her.
27 Her ^ashouse is the way to Sheol,
Descending to the chambers of death.