New Living Translation NLT
The Message Bible MSG
1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom; listen carefully to my wise counsel.
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Dear friend, pay close attention to this, my wisdom; listen very closely to the way I see it.
2 Then you will show discernment, and your lips will express what you’ve learned.
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Then you'll acquire a taste for good sense; what I tell you will keep you out of trouble.
3 For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil.
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The lips of a seductive woman are oh so sweet, her soft words are oh so smooth.
4 But in the end she is as bitter as poison, as dangerous as a double-edged sword.
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But it won't be long before she's gravel in your mouth, a pain in your gut, a wound in your heart.
5 Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.
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She's dancing down the primrose path to Death; she's headed straight for Hell and taking you with her.
6 For she cares nothing about the path to life. She staggers down a crooked trail and doesn’t realize it.
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She hasn't a clue about Real Life, about who she is or where she's going.
7 So now, my sons, listen to me. Never stray from what I am about to say:
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So, my friend, listen closely; don't treat my words casually.
8 Stay away from her! Don’t go near the door of her house!
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Keep your distance from such a woman; absolutely stay out of her neighborhood.
9 If you do, you will lose your honor and will lose to merciless people all you have achieved.
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You don't want to squander your wonderful life, to waste your precious life among the hardhearted.
10 Strangers will consume your wealth, and someone else will enjoy the fruit of your labor.
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Why should you allow strangers to take advantage of you? Why be exploited by those who care nothing for you?
11 In the end you will groan in anguish when disease consumes your body.
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You don't want to end your life full of regrets, nothing but sin and bones,
12 You will say, “How I hated discipline! If only I had not ignored all the warnings!
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Saying, "Oh, why didn't I do what they told me? Why did I reject a disciplined life?
13 Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers? Why didn’t I pay attention to my instructors?
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Why didn't I listen to my mentors, or take my teachers seriously?
14 I have come to the brink of utter ruin, and now I must face public disgrace.”
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My life is ruined! I haven't one blessed thing to show for my life!" Never Take Love for Granted
15 Drink water from your own well— share your love only with your wife.
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Do you know the saying, "Drink from your own rain barrel, draw water from your own spring-fed well"?
16 Why spill the water of your springs in the streets, having sex with just anyone?
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It's true. Otherwise, you may one day come home and find your barrel empty and your well polluted.
17 You should reserve it for yourselves. Never share it with strangers.
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Your spring water is for you and you only, not to be passed around among strangers.
18 Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth.
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Bless your fresh-flowing fountain! Enjoy the wife you married as a young man!
19 She is a loving deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts satisfy you always. May you always be captivated by her love.
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Lovely as an angel, beautiful as a rose - don't ever quit taking delight in her body. Never take her love for granted!
20 Why be captivated, my son, by an immoral woman, or fondle the breasts of a promiscuous woman?
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Why would you trade enduring intimacies for cheap thrills with a whore? for dalliance with a promiscuous stranger?
21 For the LORD sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes.
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Mark well that God doesn't miss a move you make; he's aware of every step you take.
22 An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him.
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The shadow of your sin will overtake you; you'll find yourself stumbling all over yourself in the dark.
23 He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his great foolishness.
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Death is the reward of an undisciplined life; your foolish decisions trap you in a dead end.