Verse 1
My son, attend to my wisdom, and incline your ear to my understanding:
My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:
Verse 2
That you may keep discretion, and that your lips may preserve knowledge.
That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.
Verse 3
For the lips of a strange woman drip as a honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:
For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:
Verse 4
But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.
Verse 5
Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.
Verse 6
Lest you should ponder the path of life, her ways are unstable, so that you cannot know them.
Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.
Verse 7
Hear me now therefore, O children, and do not depart from the words of my mouth.
Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.
Verse 8
Remove your way far from her, and do not come near the door of her house:
Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:
Verse 9
Lest you give your honor to others, and your years to the cruel:
Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:
Verse 10
Lest strangers be filled with your wealth, and your labors be in the house of a stranger;
Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;
Verse 11
And you mourn at the last, when your flesh and your body are consumed,
And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,
Verse 12
And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;
Verse 13
And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me!
And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!
Verse 14
I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.
Verse 15
Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well.
Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.
Verse 16
Let your fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of water in the streets.
Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets.
Verse 17
Let them be only your own, and not strangers' with you.
Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee.
Verse 18
Let your fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of your youth.
Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.
Verse 19
Let her be as the loving deer and graceful doe; let her breasts satisfy you at all times; and be ravished always with her love.
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.
Verse 20
And why will you, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?
And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?
Verse 21
For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and He ponders all his paths.
For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings.
Verse 22
His own iniquities shall capture the wicked, and he shall be held with the cords of his sins.
His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.
Verse 23
He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.