Proverbes 7:20-27

20 Il a pris avec lui un sac d'argent; il ne retournera en sa maison qu'à la nouvelle lune.
21 Elle l'entraîna à force de paroles, et le fit tomber par la flatterie de ses lèvres.
22 Il s'en alla aussitôt après elle, comme un bœuf s'en va à la boucherie, et comme un fou qu'on lie pour être châtié,
23 Jusques à ce qu'une flèche lui perce le foie; comme un oiseau qui se précipite vers le lacet, ne sachant pas qu'il est tendu contre sa vie.
24 Maintenant donc, mes enfants, écoutez-moi, et soyez attentifs aux paroles de ma bouche.
25 Que ton cœur ne se détourne point vers les voies de cette femme, et qu'elle ne te fasse point égarer dans ses sentiers.
26 Car elle en a fait tomber plusieurs, blessés à mort, et grand est le nombre de ceux qu'elle a tués.
27 Sa maison est le chemin du Sépulcre; il descend aux demeures de la mort.

Proverbes 7:20-27 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PROVERBS 7

The sum of this chapter is to exhort men to attend to the doctrines and precepts of Wisdom, in order to avoid the adulterous woman; the exhortation to keep them with care, affection, and delight, in order to answer the end, is in Pr 7:1-5. A story is told, of Solomon's own knowledge, of a young man ensnared and ruined by a lewd woman; it begins Pr 7:6. The young man is described as foolish, and as throwing himself in the way of temptation, Pr 7:7-9; the harlot that met him is described by her attire, her subtlety, her voice, her inconstancy, her impudence, and pretensions to piety, Pr 7:10-14. The arguments she made use of to prevail upon him to go with her are taken partly from the elegance of her bed, the softness of it, and its sweet perfume, and satiety of love to be enjoyed in it, Pr 7:15-18; and partly from the absence of her husband, who was gone a long journey, and had made provision for it for a certain time, Pr 7:19,20. By which arguments she prevailed upon him to his utter ruin: which is illustrated by the similes of an ox going to the slaughter, a fool to the stocks, and a bird to the snare, Pr 7:21-23. And the chapter is concluded with an exhortation to hearken to the words of Wisdom, and to avoid the ways and paths of the harlot, by which many and mighty persons have been ruined; they being the direct road to hell and death, Pr 7:24-27.

The Ostervald translation is in the public domain.