Online Bible

Warning Against Adultery

My son, ^apay attention to my wisdom,^bIncline your ear to my discernment;2 That you may ^akeep discretionAnd that your ^blips may guard knowledge.3 For the lips of a ^astrange woman ^bdrip honeyAnd ^csmoother than oil is her ¹speech;4 But her end is ^abitter as wormwood,^bSharp as a two-edged sword.5 Her feet ^ago down to death,Her steps take hold of Sheol,6 Lest she watch the ^apath of life;Her tracks are ^bunstable, she ^cdoes not know it.

7 ^aSo now, my sons, listen to meAnd ^bdo not turn away from the words of my mouth.8 ^aKeep your way far from herAnd do not go near the ^bdoor of her house,9 Lest you give your splendor to othersAnd your years to the cruel one;10 Lest strangers be satisfied by your strengthAnd by your painful labor, those in the house of a foreigner;11 And you groan at your ¹end,When your flesh and your body are consumed;12 And you say, “How I have ^ahated discipline!And my heart ^bspurned reproof!13 “I have not listened to the voice of my ^ainstructors,And I have not inclined my ear to my teachers!14 “I was almost in utter ruinIn the midst of the assembly and congregation.”

15 Drink water from your own cisternAnd ¹fresh water from your own well.16 Should your ^asprings be dispersed abroad,Streams of water in the streets?17 Let them be for you alone,And not for strangers with you.18 Let your ^afountain be blessed,And ^bbe glad in the ^cwife of your youth.19 As a loving ^ahind and a graceful doe,Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;Be ¹intoxicated always with her love.20 So why should you, my son, be intoxicated with a ^astrange womanAnd embrace the bosom of a ^bforeign woman?21 For the ^aways of a man are before the eyes of Yahweh,And He ^bwatches all his tracks.22 His ^aown iniquities will capture him who is the wicked one,And with the cords of his sin he will be held fast.23 He will ^adie for lack of discipline,And in the abundance of his ¹folly he will ²stumble in intoxication.

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Pitfalls of Immorality

My son, ^agive attention to my wisdom,^bIncline your ear to my understanding;2 That you may ^aobserve discretionAnd your ^blips may reserve knowledge.3 For the lips of an ¹^aadulteress ^bdrip honeyAnd ^csmoother than oil is her ²speech;4 But in the end she is ^abitter as wormwood,^bSharp as a two-edged sword.5 Her feet ^ago down to death,Her steps take hold of Sheol.6 ¹She does not ponder the ^apath of life;Her ways are ^bunstable, she ^cdoes not know it.

7 ^aNow then, my sons, listen to meAnd ^bdo not depart from the words of my mouth.8 ^aKeep your way far from herAnd do not go near the ^bdoor of her house,9 Or you will give your vigor to othersAnd your years to the cruel one;10 And strangers will be filled with your strengthAnd your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien;11 And you groan at your ¹final end,When your flesh and your body are consumed;12 And you say, “How I have ^ahated instruction!And my heart ^bspurned reproof!13 “I have not listened to the voice of my ^ateachers,Nor inclined my ear to my instructors!14 “I was almost in utter ruinIn the midst of the assembly and congregation.”

15 Drink water from your own cisternAnd ¹fresh water from your own well.16 Should your ^asprings be dispersed abroad,Streams of water in the streets?17 Let them be yours aloneAnd not for strangers with you.18 Let your ^afountain be blessed,And ^brejoice in the ^cwife of your youth.19 As a loving ^ahind and a graceful doe,Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;Be ¹exhilarated always with her love.20 For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an ¹^aadulteressAnd embrace the bosom of a ^bforeigner?21 For the ^aways of a man are before the eyes of the LORD,And He ^bwatches all his paths.22 His ^aown iniquities will capture the wicked,And he will be held with the cords of his sin.23 He will ^adie for lack of instruction,And in the greatness of his folly he will go astray.

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Pitfalls of Immorality

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.