The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 My son, keep my words, store up my commands with you.
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My son, keep my sayings, and let my rules be stored up with you.
2 Obey my commands, and live; guard my teaching like the pupil of your eye.
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Keep my rules and you will have life; let my teaching be to you as the light of your eyes;
3 Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
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Let them be fixed to your fingers, and recorded in your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, "You are my sister"; call understanding your kinswoman;
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Say to wisdom, You are my sister; let knowledge be named your special friend:
5 so that they can keep you from unknown women, from loose women with their seductive talk.
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So that they may keep you from the strange woman, even from her whose words are smooth.
6 For I was at the window of my house, glancing out through the lattice,
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Looking out from my house, and watching through the window,
7 when I saw among the young men there, among those who don't think for themselves, a young fellow devoid of all sense.
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I saw among the young men one without sense,
8 He crosses the street near her corner and continues on toward her house.
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Walking in the street near the turn of her road, going on the way to her house,
9 Dusk turns into evening, and finally night, dark and black.
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At nightfall, in the evening of the day, in the black dark of the night.
10 Then a woman approaches him, dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.
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And the woman came out to him, in the dress of a loose woman, with a designing heart;
11 She's the coarse, impulsive type, whose feet don't stay at home;
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She is full of noise and uncontrolled; her feet keep not in her house.
12 rather, she stalks the streets and squares, lurking at every streetcorner.
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Now she is in the street, now in the open spaces, waiting at every turning of the road.
13 She grabs him, gives him a kiss, and, brazen-faced, she says to him,
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So she took him by his hand, kissing him, and without a sign of shame she said to him:
14 "I had to offer peace sacrifices, and I fulfilled my vows today.
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I have a feast of peace-offerings, for today my oaths have been effected.
15 This is why I came out to meet you, to look for you; now I've found you.
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So I came out in the hope of meeting you, looking for you with care, and now I have you.
16 I've spread quilts on my couch made of colored Egyptian linen.
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My bed is covered with cushions of needlework, with coloured cloths of the cotton thread of Egypt;
17 I've perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.
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I have made my bed sweet with perfumes and spices.
18 Come on, let's make love till morning; we'll enjoy making love.
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Come, let us take our pleasure in love till the morning, having joy in love's delights.
19 My husband isn't at home, he's gone on a long trip;
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For the master of the house is away on a long journey:
20 he took a bag of money with him and won't be back till the moon is full."
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He has taken a bag of money with him; he is coming back at the full moon.
21 With all her sweet talk she convinces him, enticing him with her seductive words.
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With her fair words she overcame him, forcing him with her smooth lips.
22 At once he follows her like an ox on its way to be slaughtered; like a fool to be punished in the stocks;
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The simple man goes after her, like an ox going to its death, like a roe pulled by a cord;
23 or like a bird rushing into a trap, not knowing its life is at stake till an arrow pierces its liver.
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Like a bird falling into a net; with no thought that his life is in danger, till an arrow goes into his side.
24 So now, children, listen to me; pay attention to what I am saying.
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So now, my sons, give ear to me; give attention to the sayings of my mouth;
25 Don't let your heart turn to her ways; don't stray onto her paths.
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Let not your heart be turned to her ways, do not go wandering in her footsteps.
26 For many are those she has struck down dead, numerous those she has killed.
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For those wounded and made low by her are great in number; and all those who have come to their death through her are a great army.
27 Her house is the way to Sh'ol; it leads down to the halls of death.
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Her house is the way to the underworld, going down to the rooms of death.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.