1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom,
listen well to my words of insight, |
2 that you may maintain discretion
and your lips may preserve knowledge. |
3 For the lips of an adulteress drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil; |
4 but in the end she is bitter as gall,
sharp as a double-edged sword. |
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead straight to the grave.1 5:5 Hebrew Sheol |
6 She gives no thought to the way of life;
her paths are crooked, but she knows it not. |
7 Now then, my sons, listen to me;
do not turn aside from what I say. |
8 Keep to a path far from her,
do not go near the door of her house, |
9 lest you give your best strength to others
and your years to one who is cruel, |
10 lest strangers feast on your wealth
and your toil enrich another man's house. |
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! |
13 I would not obey my teachers
or listen to my instructors. |
14 I have come to the brink of utter ruin
in the midst of the whole assembly." |
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 be blessed,
and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. |
19 A loving doe, a graceful deer-
may her breasts satisfy you always,
may you ever be captivated by her love. |
20 Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress?
Why embrace the bosom of another man's wife? |
21 For a man's ways are in full view of the LORD ,
and he examines all his paths. |
22 The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him;
the cords of his sin hold him fast. |
23 He will die for lack of discipline,
led astray by his own great folly. |
