GOD'S WORD Translation GW
New International Version NIV
1 My son, pay attention to my words. Treasure my commands that are within you.
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My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you.
2 Obey my commands so that you may live. Follow my teachings just as you protect the pupil of your eye.
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Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
3 Tie them on your fingers. Write them on the tablet of your heart.
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Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, "You are my sister." Give the name "my relative" to understanding
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Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and to insight, “You are my relative.”
5 in order to guard yourself from an adulterous woman, from a loose woman with her smooth talk.
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They will keep you from the adulterous woman, from the wayward woman with her seductive words.
6 From a window in my house I looked through my screen.
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At the window of my house I looked down through the lattice.
7 I was looking at gullible people when I saw a young man without much sense among youths.
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I saw among the simple, I noticed among the young men, a youth who had no sense.
8 He was crossing a street near her corner and walking toward her house
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He was going down the street near her corner, walking along in the direction of her house
9 in the twilight, in the evening, in the dark hours of the night.
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at twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in.
10 A woman with an ulterior motive meets him. She is dressed as a prostitute.
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Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.
11 She is loud and rebellious. Her feet will not stay at home.
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(She is unruly and defiant, her feet never stay at home;
12 One moment she is out on the street, the next she is at the curb, on the prowl at every corner.
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now in the street, now in the squares, at every corner she lurks.)
13 She grabs him and kisses him and brazenly says to him,
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She took hold of him and kissed him and with a brazen face she said:
14 "I have some sacrificial meat. Today I kept my vows.
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“Today I fulfilled my vows, and I have food from my fellowship offering at home.
15 That's why I came to meet you. Eagerly, I looked for you, and I've found you.
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So I came out to meet you; I looked for you and have found you!
16 I've made my bed, with colored sheets of Egyptian linen.
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I have covered my bed with colored linens from Egypt.
17 I've sprinkled my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
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I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.
18 Come, let's drink our fill of love until morning. Let's enjoy making love,
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Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning; let’s enjoy ourselves with love!
19 because my husband's not home. He has gone on a long trip.
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My husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey.
20 He took lots of money with him. He won't be home for a couple of weeks."
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He took his purse filled with money and will not be home till full moon.”
21 With all her seductive charms, she persuades him. With her smooth lips, she makes him give in.
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With persuasive words she led him astray; she seduced him with her smooth talk.
22 He immediately follows her like a steer on its way to be slaughtered, like a ram hobbling into captivity
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All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose
23 until an arrow pierces his heart, like a bird darting into a trap. He does not realize that it will cost him his life.
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till an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare, little knowing it will cost him his life.
24 Now, sons, listen to me. Pay attention to the words from my mouth.
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Now then, my sons, listen to me; pay attention to what I say.
25 Do not let your heart be turned to her ways. Do not wander onto her paths,
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Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths.
26 because she has brought down many victims, and she has killed all too many.
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Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng.
27 Her home is the way to hell and leads to the darkest vaults of death.
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Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death.
GOD'S WORD® is a copyrighted work of God's Word to the Nations. Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.