Online Bible

My son, ^abe attentive to my wisdom godly wisdom learned by costly experience,^bIncline your ear to my understanding; 1+@Kin 4:292 That you may ^aexercise discrimination and discretion (good judgment) ,And your ^blips may reserve knowledge and answer wisely to temptation.3 For the lips of an ^aimmoral woman ^bdrip honey like a honeycombAnd her speech is ^csmoother than oil; Ezek 20:30; Col 2:8-10; 2+@Pet 2:14-174 But in the end she is ^abitter like the extract of wormwood,^bSharp as a two-edged sword.5 Her feet ^ago down to death;Her steps take hold of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) ,6 So that she does not think seriously about the ^apath of life;Her ways are ^baimless and unstable; you ^ccannot know where her path leads.

7 ^aNow then, my sons, listen to meAnd do not ^bdepart from (forget) the words of my mouth.8 ^aLet your way in life be far from her,And do not go near the ^bdoor of her house avoid even being near the places of temptation, Prov 4:15; Rom 16:17; 1+@Thess 5:19-229 Or you will give your honor to others,And your years to the cruel one,10 And strangers will be filled with your strengthAnd your hard-earned wealth will go to the house of a foreigner who does not know God;11 And you will groan when your life is ending,When your flesh and your body are consumed;12 And you say, “How I ^ahated instruction and discipline,And my heart ^bdespised correction and reproof!13 “I have not listened to the voice of my ^ateachers,Nor have I inclined my ear to those who instructed me.14 “I was almost in total ruinIn the midst of the assembly and congregation.”

15 ¹Drink water from your own ²cistern of a pure marriage relationshipAnd fresh running water from your own well.16 Should your ¹^asprings (children) be dispersed,As streams of water in the streets?17 Confine yourself to your own wife. Let your children be yours alone,And not the children of strangers with you.18 Let your ^afountain (wife) be blessed with the rewards of fidelity,And ^brejoice in the ^cwife of your youth. Song 4:12, 1519 Let her be as a loving ^ahind and graceful doe,Let her breasts refresh and satisfy you at all times;Always be ¹exhilarated and delight in her love.20 Why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an ^aimmoral womanAnd embrace the bosom of an ^boutsider (pagan) ?21 For the ^aways of man are directly before the eyes of the LORD,And He carefully ^bwatches all of his paths all of his comings and goings. 2+@Chr 16:9; Job 31:4; 34:21; Prov 15:3; Jer 16:17; Hos 7:2; Heb 4:1322 The ^ainiquities done by a wicked man will trap him,And he will be held with the cords of his sin.23 He will ^adie for lack of instruction (discipline) ,And in the greatness of his foolishness he will go astray and be lost.