Proverbs 7 (New American Standard)

The Wiles of the Harlot

1 My son, ¹keep my words And treasure my commandments within you. 2 ²Keep my commandments and live, And my ^ateaching ³as the ^bapple of your eye. 3 ⁴Bind them on your fingers ; ⁵Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Say to wisdom, "You are my sister," And call understanding your intimate friend ; 5 That they may keep you from an ^cadulteress, From the foreigner who ^dflatters with her words. 6 For ⁶at the window of my house I looked out ⁷through my lattice, 7 And I saw among the ^e8naive, And discerned among the ^fyouths A young man ⁹lacking ^gsense, 8 Passing through the street near ¹⁰her corner ; And he ^htakes the way to ¹¹her house, 9 In the ¹²twilight, in the ⁱevening , In the ^jmiddle of the night and in the darkness. 10 And behold, a woman comes to meet him, ¹³Dressed as a harlot and cunning of heart. 11 She is ¹⁴boisterous and rebellious, Her ¹⁵feet do not remain at home ; 12 She is now in the streets, now ¹⁶in the squares, And ¹⁷lurks by every corner. 13 So she seizes him and kisses him ^kAnd with a ¹⁸brazen face she says to him: 14 "^lI was due to offer ¹⁹peace offerings ; Today I have ²⁰paid my vows. 15 "Therefore I have come out to meet you, To seek your presence earnestly, and I have found you. 16 "I have spread my couch with ²¹coverings, With colored ²²linens of Egypt. 17 "I have sprinkled my bed With ²³myrrh, aloes and ²⁴cinnamon. 18 "Come, let us drink our fill of love until morning ; Let us delight ourselves with caresses. 19 "For ^mmy husband is not at home, He has gone on a long journey ; 20 He has taken a ²⁵bag of money ⁿwith him, At the full moon he will come home." 21 With her many persuasions she entices him; With her ^o26flattering lips she seduces him. 22 Suddenly he follows her As an ox goes to the slaughter, Or as ^pone in fetters to the discipline of a fool, 23 Until an arrow pierces through his liver ; As a ²⁷bird hastens to the snare, So he does not know that it will cost him his life. 24 Now therefore, my sons, ²⁸listen to me, And pay attention to the words of my mouth. 25 Do not let your heart ²⁹turn aside to her ways, Do not stray into her paths. 26 For many are the ^qvictims she has cast down, And ³⁰numerous are all her slain. 27 Her ³¹house is the way to Sheol, Descending to the chambers of death.