Young's Literal Translation YLT
New International Version NIV
1 My son! to my wisdom give attention, To mine understanding incline thine ear,
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My son, pay attention to my wisdom, turn your ear to my words of insight,
2 To observe thoughtfulness, And knowledge do thy lips keep.
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that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge.
3 For the lips of a strange woman drop honey, And smoother than oil [is] her mouth,
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For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil;
4 And her latter end [is] bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a sword [with] mouths.
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but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword.
5 Her feet are going down to death, Sheol do her steps take hold of.
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Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.
6 The path of life -- lest thou ponder, Moved have her paths -- thou knowest not.
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She gives no thought to the way of life; her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it.
7 And now, ye sons, hearken to me, And turn not from sayings of my mouth.
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Now then, my sons, listen to me; do not turn aside from what I say.
8 Keep far from off her thy way, And come not near unto the opening of her house,
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Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house,
9 Lest thou give to others thy honour, And thy years to the fierce,
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lest you lose your honor to others and your dignity to one who is cruel,
10 Lest strangers be filled [with] thy power, And thy labours in the house of a stranger,
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lest strangers feast on your wealth and your toil enrich the house of another.
11 And thou hast howled in thy latter end, In the consumption of thy flesh and thy food,
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At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent.
12 And hast said, `How have I hated instruction, And reproof hath my heart despised,
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You will say, “How I hated discipline! How my heart spurned correction!
13 And I have not hearkened to the voice of my directors, And to my teachers have not inclined mine ear.
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I would not obey my teachers or turn my ear to my instructors.
14 As a little thing I have been all evil, In the midst of an assembly and a company.
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And I was soon in serious trouble in the assembly of God’s people.”
15 Drink waters out of thine own cistern, Even flowing ones out of thine own well.
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Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well.
16 Let thy fountains be scattered abroad, In broad places rivulets of waters.
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Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares?
17 Let them be to thee for thyself, And not to strangers with thee.
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Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers.
18 Let thy fountain be blessed, And rejoice because of the wife of thy youth,
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May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 A hind of loves, and a roe of grace! Let her loves satisfy thee at all times, In her love magnify thyself continually.
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A loving doe, a graceful deer— may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
20 And why dost thou magnify thyself, My son, with a stranger? And embrace the bosom of a strange woman?
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Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife? Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?
21 For over-against the eyes of Jehovah are the ways of each, And all his paths He is pondering.
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For your ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all your paths.
22 His own iniquities do capture the wicked, And with the ropes of his sin he is holden.
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The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them; the cords of their sins hold them fast.
23 He dieth without instruction, And in the abundance of his folly magnifieth himself!
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For lack of discipline they will die, led astray by their own great folly.
Young's Literal Translation is in the public domain.
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.