New Living Translation NLT
Young's Literal Translation YLT
1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom; listen carefully to my wise counsel.
1
My son! to my wisdom give attention, To mine understanding incline thine ear,
2 Then you will show discernment, and your lips will express what you’ve learned.
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To observe thoughtfulness, And knowledge do thy lips keep.
3 For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil.
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For the lips of a strange woman drop honey, And smoother than oil [is] her mouth,
4 But in the end she is as bitter as poison, as dangerous as a double-edged sword.
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And her latter end [is] bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a sword [with] mouths.
5 Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.
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Her feet are going down to death, Sheol do her steps take hold of.
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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The path of life -- lest thou ponder, Moved have her paths -- thou knowest not.
7 So now, my sons, listen to me. Never stray from what I am about to say:
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And now, ye sons, hearken to me, And turn not from sayings of my mouth.
8 Stay away from her! Don’t go near the door of her house!
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Keep far from off her thy way, And come not near unto the opening of her house,
9 If you do, you will lose your honor and will lose to merciless people all you have achieved.
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Lest thou give to others thy honour, And thy years to the fierce,
10 Strangers will consume your wealth, and someone else will enjoy the fruit of your labor.
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Lest strangers be filled [with] thy power, And thy labours in the house of a stranger,
11 In the end you will groan in anguish when disease consumes your body.
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And thou hast howled in thy latter end, In the consumption of thy flesh and thy food,
12 You will say, “How I hated discipline! If only I had not ignored all the warnings!
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And hast said, `How have I hated instruction, And reproof hath my heart despised,
13 Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers? Why didn’t I pay attention to my instructors?
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And I have not hearkened to the voice of my directors, And to my teachers have not inclined mine ear.
14 I have come to the brink of utter ruin, and now I must face public disgrace.”
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As a little thing I have been all evil, In the midst of an assembly and a company.
15 Drink water from your own well— share your love only with your wife.
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Drink waters out of thine own cistern, Even flowing ones out of thine own well.
16 Why spill the water of your springs in the streets, having sex with just anyone?
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Let thy fountains be scattered abroad, In broad places rivulets of waters.
17 You should reserve it for yourselves. Never share it with strangers.
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Let them be to thee for thyself, And not to strangers with thee.
18 Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth.
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Let thy fountain be blessed, And rejoice because of the wife of thy youth,
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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A hind of loves, and a roe of grace! Let her loves satisfy thee at all times, In her love magnify thyself continually.
20 Why be captivated, my son, by an immoral woman, or fondle the breasts of a promiscuous woman?
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And why dost thou magnify thyself, My son, with a stranger? And embrace the bosom of a strange woman?
21 For the LORD sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes.
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For over-against the eyes of Jehovah are the ways of each, And all his paths He is pondering.
22 An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him.
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His own iniquities do capture the wicked, And with the ropes of his sin he is holden.
23 He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his great foolishness.
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He dieth without instruction, And in the abundance of his folly magnifieth himself!
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Young's Literal Translation is in the public domain.