The Latin Vulgate VUL
New King James Version NKJV
1 fili mi adtende sapientiam meam et prudentiae meae inclina aurem tuam
1
My son, pay attention to my wisdom; Lend your ear to my understanding,
2 ut custodias cogitationes et disciplinam labia tua conservent
2
That you may preserve discretion, And your lips may keep knowledge.
3 favus enim stillans labia meretricis et nitidius oleo guttur eius
3
For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil;
4 novissima autem illius amara quasi absinthium et acuta quasi gladius biceps
4
But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 pedes eius descendunt in mortem et ad inferos gressus illius penetrant
5
Her feet go down to death, Her steps lay hold of hell.
6 per semitam vitae non ambulat vagi sunt gressus eius et investigabiles
6
Lest you ponder her path of life-- Her ways are unstable; You do not know them.
7 nunc ergo fili audi me et ne recedas a verbis oris mei
7
Therefore hear me now, my children, And do not depart from the words of my mouth.
8 longe fac ab ea viam tuam et ne adpropinques foribus domus eius
8
Remove your way far from her, And do not go near the door of her house,
9 ne des alienis honorem tuum et annos tuos crudeli
9
Lest you give your honor to others, And your years to the cruel one;
10 ne forte impleantur extranei viribus tuis et labores tui sint in domo aliena
10
Lest aliens be filled with your wealth, And your labors go to the house of a foreigner;
11 et gemas in novissimis quando consumpseris carnes et corpus tuum et dicas
11
And you mourn at last, When your flesh and your body are consumed,
12 cur detestatus sum disciplinam et increpationibus non adquievit cor meum
12
And say: "How I have hated instruction, And my heart despised correction!
13 nec audivi vocem docentium me et magistris non inclinavi aurem meam
13
I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me!
14 paene fui in omni malo in medio ecclesiae et synagogae
14
I was on the verge of total ruin, In the midst of the assembly and congregation."
15 bibe aquam de cisterna tua et fluenta putei tui
15
Drink water from your own cistern, And running water from your own well.
16 deriventur fontes tui foras et in plateis aquas tuas divide
16
Should your fountains be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets?
17 habeto eas solus nec sint alieni participes tui
17
Let them be only your own, And not for strangers with you.
18 sit vena tua benedicta et laetare cum muliere adulescentiae tuae
18
Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice with the wife of your youth.
19 cerva carissima et gratissimus hinulus ubera eius inebrient te omni tempore in amore illius delectare iugiter
19
As a loving deer and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; And always be enraptured with her love.
20 quare seduceris fili mi ab aliena et foveris sinu alterius
20
For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman, And be embraced in the arms of a seductress?
21 respicit Dominus vias hominis et omnes gressus illius considerat
21
For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, And He ponders all his paths.
22 iniquitates suae capiunt impium et funibus peccatorum suorum constringitur
22
His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, And he is caught in the cords of his sin.
23 ipse morietur quia non habuit disciplinam et multitudine stultitiae suae decipietur
23
He shall die for lack of instruction, And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
The Latin Vulgate is in the public domain.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.