Proverbs 7
|
Proverbs 7
|
My son, keep my words, And lay up my commandments with thee. | My son, keep my sayings, and let my rules be stored up with you. |
Keep my commandments and live; And my law as the apple of thine eye. | Keep my rules and you will have life; let my teaching be to you as the light of your eyes; |
Bind them upon thy fingers; Write them upon the tablet of thy heart. | Let them be fixed to your fingers, and recorded in your heart. |
Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; And call understanding [thy] kinswoman: | Say to wisdom, You are my sister; let knowledge be named your special friend: |
That they may keep thee from the strange woman, From the foreigner that flattereth with her words. | So that they may keep you from the strange woman, even from her whose words are smooth. |
For at the window of my house I looked forth through my lattice; | Looking out from my house, and watching through the window, |
And I beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, A young man void of understanding, | I saw among the young men one without sense, |
Passing through the street near her corner; And he went the way to her house, | Walking in the street near the turn of her road, going on the way to her house, |
In the twilight, in the evening of the day, In the middle of the night and in the darkness. | At nightfall, in the evening of the day, in the black dark of the night. |
And, behold, there met him a woman With the attire of a harlot, and wily of heart. | And the woman came out to him, in the dress of a loose woman, with a designing heart; |
She is clamorous and wilful; Her feet abide not in her house: | She is full of noise and uncontrolled; her feet keep not in her house. |
Now she is in the streets, now in the broad places, And lieth in wait at every corner. | Now she is in the street, now in the open spaces, waiting at every turning of the road. |
So she caught him, and kissed him, [And] with an impudent face she said unto him: | So she took him by his hand, kissing him, and without a sign of shame she said to him: |
Sacrifices of peace-offerings are with me; This day have I paid my vows. | I have a feast of peace-offerings, for today my oaths have been effected. |
Therefore came I forth to meet thee, Diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee. | So I came out in the hope of meeting you, looking for you with care, and now I have you. |
I have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry, With striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt. | My bed is covered with cushions of needlework, with coloured cloths of the cotton thread of Egypt; |
I have perfumed my bed With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. | I have made my bed sweet with perfumes and spices. |
Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning; Let us solace ourselves with loves. | Come, let us take our pleasure in love till the morning, having joy in love's delights. |
For the man is not at home; He is gone a long journey: | For the master of the house is away on a long journey: |
He hath taken a bag of money with him; He will come home at the full moon. | He has taken a bag of money with him; he is coming back at the full moon. |
With her much fair speech she causeth him to yield; With the flattering of her lips she forceth him along. | With her fair words she overcame him, forcing him with her smooth lips. |
He goeth after her straightway, As an ox goeth to the slaughter, Or as [one in] fetters to the correction of the fool; | The simple man goes after her, like an ox going to its death, like a roe pulled by a cord; |
Till an arrow strike through his liver; As a bird hasteth to the snare, And knoweth not that it is for his life. | Like a bird falling into a net; with no thought that his life is in danger, till an arrow goes into his side. |
Now therefore, [my] sons, hearken unto me, And attend to the words of my mouth. | So now, my sons, give ear to me; give attention to the sayings of my mouth; |
Let not thy heart decline to her ways; Go not astray in her paths. | Let not your heart be turned to her ways, do not go wandering in her footsteps. |
For she hath cast down many wounded: Yea, all her slain are a mighty host. | For those wounded and made low by her are great in number; and all those who have come to their death through her are a great army. |
Her house is the way to Sheol, Going down to the chambers of death. | Her house is the way to the underworld, going down to the rooms of death. |