Zhēnyán 7

1 Wǒ ér , nǐ yào zūnshǒu wǒde yányǔ , jiāng wǒde mìnglìng cún jì zaì xīn .

2 Zūnshǒu wǒde mìnglìng , jiù dé cún huó . bǎoshǒu wǒde fǎ zé , ( huò zuò zhǐjiào ) hǎoxiàng bǎoshǒu yǎn zhōng de tóng rén .

3 Jì zaì nǐ zhítou shang , kè zaì nǐ xīn bǎn shang .

4 Duì zhìhuì shuō , nǐ shì wǒde zǐ meì . chēnghu cōngming wèi nǐde qéng rén .

5 Tā jiù bǎo nǐ yuǎn lí yín fù , yuǎn lí shuō chǎnmeì huà de waì nǚ .

6 Wǒ céng zaì wǒ fángwū de chuānghu neì , cóng wǒ chuāng líng zhī jiān , wǎng waì guānkàn .

7 Jiàn yúmeì rén neì , shàonián rén zhōng , fēnmíng yǒu yī ge wúzhī de shàonián rén ,

8 Cóng jiē shang jīngguò , zǒu jìn yín fù de xiàng kǒu , zhí wǎng tōng tā jiā de lù qù ,

9 Zaì huánghūn , huò wǎnshang , huò bàn yè , huò hēiàn zhī zhōng ,

10 Kàn nǎ , yǒu yī ge fùrén lái yíngjiē tā , shì jìnǚ de dǎ bàn , yǒu guǐzhà de xīn sī .

11 Zhè fùrén xuān nāng bù shǒu yuē shù , zaì jiā lǐ tíng bù zhù jiǎo .

12 Yǒu shí zaì jiēshì shang , yǒu shí zaì kuānkuò chù , huò zaì ge xiàng kǒu dūn fú .

13 Lā zhù nà shàonián rén , yǔ tā qīnzuǐ, liǎn wú xiūchǐ duì tā shuō ,

14 Píngān jì zaì wǒ zhèlǐ . jīnrì cái huán le wǒ suǒ xǔ de yuàn .

15 Yīncǐ , wǒ chūlai yíngjiē nǐ , kĕnqiú jiàn nǐde miàn , qià qiǎo yùjiàn le nǐ .

16 Wǒ yǐ jīng yòng xiùhuā tǎn zǐ , hé Āijí xiàn zhī de huā wén bù , pū le wǒde chuáng .

17 Wǒ yòu yòng mòyào , chénxiāng , guìpí , xūn le wǒde tà .

18 Nǐ lái , wǒmen kĕyǐ bǎo xiǎng aì qíng , zhídào zǎochen . wǒmen kĕyǐ bǐcǐ qīnaì huānlè .

19 Yīnwei wǒ zhàngfu bù zaì jiā , chū mén xíng yuǎn lù .

20 Tā shǒu ná yín náng . bì dào yuè wàng cái huí jiā .

21 Yín fù yòng xǔduō qiǎo yán yòu tā suícóng , yòng chǎnmeì de zuǐbī tā tóngxíng .

22 Shàonián rén lìkè gēnsuí tā , hǎoxiàng niú wǎng zǎishā zhī dì , yòu xiàng yúmeì rén daì suǒliàn , qù shòuxíng fá .

23 Zhí dĕng jiàn chuān tāde gān , rútóng qiāo diǎo jí rù wǎngluó , què bù zhī shì zì sāng jǐ méng .

24 Zhòng zǐ a , xiànzaì yào tīng cóng wǒ , liú xīn tīng wǒ kǒu zhōng de huà .

25 Nǐde xīn , bùkĕ piān xiàng yín fù de dào . búyào rù tāde mí tú .

26 Yīnwei beì tā shānghaì pú dǎo de bù shǎo . beì tā shā chuō de érqiĕ shén duō .

27 Tāde jiā shì zaì yīnjiān zhī lù , xià dào sǐwáng zhī gōng .

Zhēnyán 7 Commentary

Chapter 7

Invitations to learn wisdom. (1-5) The arts of seducers, with warnings against them. (6-27)

Verses 1-5 We must lay up God's commandments safely. Not only, Keep them, and you shall live; but, Keep them as those that cannot live without them. Those that blame strict and careful walking as needless and too precise, consider not that the law is to be kept as the apple of the eye; indeed the law in the heart is the eye of the soul. Let the word of God dwell in us, and so be written where it will be always at hand to be read. Thus we shall be kept from the fatal effects of our own passions, and the snares of Satan. Let God's word confirm our dread of sin, and resolutions against it.

Verses 6-27 Here is an affecting example of the danger of youthful lusts. It is a history or a parable of the most instructive kind. Will any one dare to venture on temptations that lead to impurity, after Solomon has set before his eyes in so lively and plain a manner, the danger of even going near them? Then is he as the man who would dance on the edge of a lofty rock, when he has just seen another fall headlong from the same place. The misery of self-ruined sinners began in disregard to God's blessed commands. We ought daily to pray that we may be kept from running into temptation, else we invite the enemies of our souls to spread snares for us. Ever avoid the neighbourhood of vice. Beware of sins which are said to be pleasant sins. They are the more dangerous, because they most easily gain the heart, and close it against repentance. Do nothing till thou hast well considered the end of it. Were a man to live as long as Methuselah, and to spend all his days in the highest delights sin can offer, one hour of the anguish and tribulation that must follow, would far outweigh them.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO PROVERBS 7

The sum of this chapter is to exhort men to attend to the doctrines and precepts of Wisdom, in order to avoid the adulterous woman; the exhortation to keep them with care, affection, and delight, in order to answer the end, is in Pr 7:1-5. A story is told, of Solomon's own knowledge, of a young man ensnared and ruined by a lewd woman; it begins Pr 7:6. The young man is described as foolish, and as throwing himself in the way of temptation, Pr 7:7-9; the harlot that met him is described by her attire, her subtlety, her voice, her inconstancy, her impudence, and pretensions to piety, Pr 7:10-14. The arguments she made use of to prevail upon him to go with her are taken partly from the elegance of her bed, the softness of it, and its sweet perfume, and satiety of love to be enjoyed in it, Pr 7:15-18; and partly from the absence of her husband, who was gone a long journey, and had made provision for it for a certain time, Pr 7:19,20. By which arguments she prevailed upon him to his utter ruin: which is illustrated by the similes of an ox going to the slaughter, a fool to the stocks, and a bird to the snare, Pr 7:21-23. And the chapter is concluded with an exhortation to hearken to the words of Wisdom, and to avoid the ways and paths of the harlot, by which many and mighty persons have been ruined; they being the direct road to hell and death, Pr 7:24-27.