New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 My child, keep my words and store up my commandments with you;
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My son, keep my sayings, and let my rules be stored up with you.
2 keep my commandments and live, keep my teachings as the apple 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," and call insight your intimate friend,
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Say to wisdom, You are my sister; let knowledge be named your special friend:
5 that they may keep you from the loose woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words.
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So that they may keep you from the strange woman, even from her whose words are smooth.
6 For at the window of my house I looked out through my lattice,
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Looking out from my house, and watching through the window,
7 and I saw among the simple ones, I observed among the youths, a young man without sense,
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I saw among the young men one without sense,
8 passing along the street near her corner, taking the road to her house
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Walking in the street near the turn of her road, going on the way to her house,
9 in the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night and darkness.
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At nightfall, in the evening of the day, in the black dark of the night.
10 Then a woman comes toward him, decked out like 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 is loud and wayward; her feet do not stay at home;
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She is full of noise and uncontrolled; her feet keep not in her house.
12 now in the street, now in the squares, and at every corner she lies in wait.
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Now she is in the street, now in the open spaces, waiting at every turning of the road.
13 She seizes him and kisses him, and with impudent face 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 sacrifices, and today I have paid my vows;
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I have a feast of peace-offerings, for today my oaths have been effected.
15 so now I have come out to meet you, to seek you eagerly, and I have 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 have decked my couch with coverings, colored spreads of 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 have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
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I have made my bed sweet with perfumes and spices.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love until morning; let us delight ourselves with love.
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Come, let us take our pleasure in love till the morning, having joy in love's delights.
19 For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey.
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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; he will not come home until full moon."
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He has taken a bag of money with him; he is coming back at the full moon.
21 With much seductive speech she persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him.
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With her fair words she overcame him, forcing him with her smooth lips.
22 Right away he follows her, and goes like an ox to the slaughter, or bounds like a stag toward the trap
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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 until an arrow pierces its entrails. He is like a bird rushing into a snare, not knowing that it will cost him his life.
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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 And now, my children, listen to me, and be attentive to the words of my mouth.
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So now, my sons, give ear to me; give attention to the sayings of my mouth;
25 Do not let your hearts turn aside to her ways; do not stray into 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 laid low, and numerous are her victims.
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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 Sheol, going down to the chambers of death.
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Her house is the way to the underworld, going down to the rooms of death.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.