The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
King James Version KJV
1 My son, keep my words, store up my commands with you.
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My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
2 Obey my commands, and live; guard my teaching like the pupil of your eye.
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Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.
3 Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
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Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.
4 Say to wisdom, "You are my sister"; call understanding your kinswoman;
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Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:
5 so that they can keep you from unknown women, from loose women with their seductive talk.
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That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.
6 For I was at the window of my house, glancing out through the lattice,
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For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,
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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And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,
8 He crosses the street near her corner and continues on toward her house.
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Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,
9 Dusk turns into evening, and finally night, dark and black.
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In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:
10 Then a woman approaches him, dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.
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And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.
11 She's the coarse, impulsive type, whose feet don't stay at home;
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(She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:
12 rather, she stalks the streets and squares, lurking at every streetcorner.
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Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)
13 She grabs him, gives him a kiss, and, brazen-faced, she says to him,
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So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him,
14 "I had to offer peace sacrifices, and I fulfilled my vows today.
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I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.
15 This is why I came out to meet you, to look for you; now I've found you.
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Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.
16 I've spread quilts on my couch made of colored Egyptian linen.
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I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.
17 I've perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.
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I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come on, let's make love till morning; we'll enjoy making love.
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Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.
19 My husband isn't at home, he's gone on a long trip;
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For the goodman is not at home, he is gone 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 hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed.
21 With all her sweet talk she convinces him, enticing him with her seductive words.
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With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.
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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He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;
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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Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.
24 So now, children, listen to me; pay attention to what I am saying.
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Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words 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 thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.
26 For many are those she has struck down dead, numerous those she has killed.
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For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.
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 hell, going down to the chambers 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 King James Version is in the public domain.