Proverbs

1My son, attend unto my wisdom; Incline thine ear to my understanding:

2That thou mayest preserve discretion, And that thy lips may keep knowledge.

3For the lips of a strange woman drop honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil:

4But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword.

5Her feet go down to death; Her steps take hold on Sheol;

6So that she findeth not the level path of life: Her ways are unstable, and she knoweth it not.

7Now therefore, my sons, hearken unto me, And depart not from the words of my mouth.

8Remove thy way far from her, And come not nigh the door of her house;

9Lest thou give thine honor unto others, And thy years unto the cruel;

10Lest strangers be filled with thy strength, And thy labors be in the house of an alien,

11And thou mourn at thy latter end, When thy flesh and thy body are consumed,

12And say, How have I hated instruction, And my heart despised reproof;

13Neither have I obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!

14I was well-nigh in all evil In the midst of the assembly and congregation.

15Drink waters out of thine own cistern, And running waters out of thine own well.

16Should thy springs be dispersed abroad, And streams of water in the streets?

17Let them be for thyself alone, And not for strangers with thee.

18Let thy fountain be blessed; And rejoice in the wife of thy youth.

19As a loving hind and a pleasant doe, Let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; And be thou ravished always with her love.

20For why shouldest thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, And embrace the bosom of a foreigner?

21For the ways of man are before the eyes of Jehovah; And he maketh level all his paths.

22His own iniquities shall take the wicked, And he shall be holden with the cords of his sin.

23He shall die for lack of instruction; And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

Avoiding Immorality

1My son, pay attention to my wisdom;incline your ear to my insight,

2that you may maintain discretionand your lips may preserve knowledge.

3Though the lips of the forbidden womandrip honeyand her speechis smoother than oil,

4in the end she is bitter as wormwood,sharp as a double-edged sword.

5Her feet go down to death;her steps lead straight to Sheol.

6She does not consider the path of life;she does not know that her ways are unstable.

7So now, my sons, listen to me,and do not turn aside from the words of my mouth.

8Keep your path far from her;do not go near the door of her house,

9lest you concede your vigor to others,and your years to one who is cruel;

10lest strangers feast on your wealth,and your labors enrich the house of a foreigner.

11At the end of your life you will groanwhen your flesh and your body are spent,

12and you will say, “How I hated discipline,and my heart despised reproof!

13I did not listen to the voice of my teachersor incline my ear to my mentors.

14I am on the brink of utter ruinin the midst of the whole assembly.”

15Drink water from your own cistern,and running water from your own well.

16Why should your springs flow in the streets,your streams of water in the public squares?

17Let them be yours alone,never to be shared with strangers.

18May your fountain be blessed,and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth:

19A loving doe, a graceful fawn—may her breasts satisfy you always; may you be captivatedby her love forever.

20Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress,or embrace the bosom of a stranger?

21For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD,and the LORD examinesall his paths.

22The iniquities of a wicked man entrap him;the cords of his sin entangle him.

23He dies for lack of discipline,led astray by his own great folly.