Online Bible

The Adulteress’ Trap

My son, ^akeep my wordsAnd treasure my commandments within you.2 ^aKeep my commandments and live,And my ¹law ^bas the ²apple of your eye.3 ^aBind them on your fingers;^bWrite them on the tablet of your heart.4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”And call understanding your intimate friend;5 In order to keep you from the strange woman,From the foreign woman who ¹flatters with her words.

6 For ^aat the window of my houseI looked out ^bthrough my lattice,7 And I saw among the ^asimple,And discerned among the ¹sonsA young man ^blacking a heart of wisdom,8 Passing through the street near ^aher corner;And he strides along the way to ^bher house,9 In the ^atwilight, in the evening of that day,In the ¹middle of the night, and in the thick darkness.10 And behold, a woman comes to meet him,^aDressed as a harlot and ¹cunning of heart.11 She is ^aboisterous and rebellious,Her ^bfeet do not dwell at home;12 Stepping in the streets, stepping ^ain the squares,And near every corner she ^blies in wait.13 So she seizes him and kisses him¹And with a ^abrazen face she says to him:14 “The sacrifices of ^apeace offerings are with me;Today I ^bpaid my vows.15 “Therefore I have come out to meet you,To seek your face earnestly, and I have found you.16 “I have spread my couch with ^acoverings,With colored ^blinens of Egypt.17 “I have sprinkled my bedWith ^amyrrh, aloes, and ^bcinnamon.18 “Come, then, let us drink our fill as lovers until morning;Let us delight ourselves with the pleasures of love.19 “For ¹my husband is not at home,He has gone on a journey far away;20 He took a ^abag of silver in his hand,On the day of the full moon he will come home.”21 With her abundant ¹persuasions she entices him;With her ^aflattering lips she drives him to herself.22 He suddenly follows herAs an ox goes to the slaughter,Or ¹as one in fetters to the discipline of an ignorant fool,23 Until an arrow pierces through his liver;As a ^abird hastens to the snare,And he does not know that it will cost him his ¹soul.

24 So now, my sons, ^alisten to me,And pay attention to the words of my mouth.25 Do not let your heart ^ago astray into her ways,Do not wander into her pathways.26 For many are the slain whom she has cast down,And ^anumerous are all those killed by her.27 The ways to Sheol are in her ^ahouse,Descending to the chambers of death.

The Lures of the Prostitute

My son, ^akeep my wordsAnd treasure my commandments within you.2 ^aKeep my commandments and live,And my ¹teaching ^bas the ²apple of your eye.3 ^aBind them on your fingers;^bWrite them on the tablet of your heart.4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”And call understanding your intimate friend,5 So that they may keep you from an ¹adulteress,From the foreigner who flatters with her words.

6 For ^aat the window of my houseI looked out ^bthrough my lattice,7 And I saw among the ^anaive,And discerned among the ¹youthsA young man ^blacking ²sense,8 Passing through the street near ^aher corner;And he walks along the way to ^bher house,9 In the ^atwilight, in the ¹evening,In the ²middle of the night and the darkness.10 And behold, a woman comes to meet him,^aDressed as a prostitute and cunning of heart.11 She is ^aboisterous and rebellious,Her ^bfeet do not remain at home;12 She is now in the streets, now ^ain the public squares,And ^blurks by every corner.13 So she seizes him and kisses him,¹And with a ^abrazen face she says to him:14 “¹I was due to offer ^apeace offerings;Today I have ^bpaid my vows.15 “Therefore I have come out to meet you,To seek your presence diligently, and I have found you.16 “I have spread my couch with ^acoverings,With colored ^blinens of Egypt.17 “I have sprinkled my bedWith ^amyrrh, aloes, and ^bcinnamon.18 “Come, let’s drink our fill of love until morning;Let’s delight ourselves with caresses.19 “For ¹my husband is not at home;He has gone on a long journey.20 “He has taken a ^abag of money ¹with him.At the full moon he will come home.”21 With her many persuasions she entices him;With her ¹^aflattering lips she seduces him.22 Suddenly he follows herAs an ox goes to the slaughter,Or as ¹one walks in ankle bracelets to the discipline of a fool,23 Until an arrow pierces through his liver;As a ^abird hurries to the snare,So he does not know that it will cost him his life.

24 Now therefore, my sons, ^alisten to me,And pay attention to the words of my mouth.25 Do not let your heart ^aturn aside to her ways,Do not stray into her paths.26 For many are the ¹victims she has brought to ruin,And ^anumerous are all those slaughtered by her.27 Her ^ahouse is the way to Sheol,Descending to the chambers of death.