The Message Bible MSG
World English Bible WEB
1 Dear friend, pay close attention to this, my wisdom; listen very closely to the way I see it.
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My son, pay attention to my wisdom. Turn your ear to my understanding:
2 Then you'll acquire a taste for good sense; what I tell you will keep you out of trouble.
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That you may maintain discretion, That your lips may preserve knowledge.
3 The lips of a seductive woman are oh so sweet, her soft words are oh so smooth.
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For the lips of an adulteress drip honey. Her mouth is smoother than oil,
4 But it won't be long before she's gravel in your mouth, a pain in your gut, a wound in your heart.
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But in the end she is as bitter as wormwood, And as sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 She's dancing down the primrose path to Death; she's headed straight for Hell and taking you with her.
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Her feet go down to death. Her steps lead straight to Sheol.
6 She hasn't a clue about Real Life, about who she is or where she's going.
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She gives no thought to the way of life. Her ways are crooked, and she doesn't know it.
7 So, my friend, listen closely; don't treat my words casually.
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Now therefore, my sons, listen to me. Don't depart from the words of my mouth.
8 Keep your distance from such a woman; absolutely stay out of her neighborhood.
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Remove your way far from her. Don't come near the door of her house,
9 You don't want to squander your wonderful life, to waste your precious life among the hardhearted.
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Lest you give your honor to others, And your years to the cruel one;
10 Why should you allow strangers to take advantage of you? Why be exploited by those who care nothing for you?
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Lest strangers feast on your wealth, And your labors enrich another man's house.
11 You don't want to end your life full of regrets, nothing but sin and bones,
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You will groan at your latter end, When your flesh and your body are consumed,
12 Saying, "Oh, why didn't I do what they told me? Why did I reject a disciplined life?
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And say, "How I have hated instruction, And my heart despised reproof;
13 Why didn't I listen to my mentors, or take my teachers seriously?
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Neither have I obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor turned my ear to those who instructed me!
14 My life is ruined! I haven't one blessed thing to show for my life!" Never Take Love for Granted
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I have come to the brink of utter ruin, In the midst of the gathered assembly."
15 Do you know the saying, "Drink from your own rain barrel, draw water from your own spring-fed well"?
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Drink water out of your own cistern, Running water out of your own well.
16 It's true. Otherwise, you may one day come home and find your barrel empty and your well polluted.
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Should your springs overflow in the streets, Streams of water in the public squares?
17 Your spring water is for you and you only, not to be passed around among strangers.
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Let them be for yourself alone, Not for strangers with you.
18 Bless your fresh-flowing fountain! Enjoy the wife you married as a young man!
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Let your spring be blessed. Rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 Lovely as an angel, beautiful as a rose - don't ever quit taking delight in her body. Never take her love for granted!
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A loving hind and a pleasant doe -- Let her breasts satisfy you at all times. Be captivated always with her love.
20 Why would you trade enduring intimacies for cheap thrills with a whore? for dalliance with a promiscuous stranger?
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For why should you, my son, be captivated with an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another?
21 Mark well that God doesn't miss a move you make; he's aware of every step you take.
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For the ways of man are before the eyes of Yahweh. He examines all his paths.
22 The shadow of your sin will overtake you; you'll find yourself stumbling all over yourself in the dark.
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The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare him. The cords of his sin hold him firmly.
23 Death is the reward of an undisciplined life; your foolish decisions trap you in a dead end.
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He will die for lack of instruction. In the greatness of his folly, he will go astray.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
The World English Bible is in the public domain.