1 M y son, keep my words; lay up within you my commandments and treasure them.

My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.

2 K eep my commandments and live, and keep my law and teaching as the apple (the pupil) of your eye.

Keep my commandments, and live; and my teaching, as the apple of thine eye.

3 B ind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.

Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the tablet of thy heart.

4 S ay to skillful and godly Wisdom, You are my sister, and regard understanding or insight as your intimate friend—

Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister, and call intelligence kinswoman:

5 T hat they may keep you from the loose woman, from the adventuress who flatters with and makes smooth her words.

that they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger who flattereth with her words.

6 F or at the window of my house I looked out through my lattice.

For at the window of my house, I looked forth through my lattice,

7 A nd among the simple (empty-headed and emptyhearted) ones, I perceived among the youths a young man void of good sense,

and I beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the sons, a young man void of understanding,

8 S auntering through the street near the corner; and he went the way to her house

passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,

9 I n the twilight, in the evening; night black and dense was falling.

in the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the blackness of night and the darkness.

10 A nd behold, there met him a woman, dressed as a harlot and sly and cunning of heart.

And behold, there met him a woman in the attire of a harlot, and subtle of heart.

11 S he is turbulent and willful; her feet stay not in her house;

She is clamorous and unmanageable; her feet abide not in her house:

12 N ow in the streets, now in the marketplaces, she sets her ambush at every corner.

now without, now in the broadways,—and she lieth in wait at every corner.

13 S o she caught him and kissed him and with impudent face she said to him,

And she caught him and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him,

14 S acrifices of peace offerings were due from me; this day I paid my vows.

I have peace-offerings with me; this day have I paid my vows:

15 S o I came forth to meet you; diligently I sought your face, and I have found you.

therefore came I forth to meet thee, to seek earnestly thy face, and I have found thee.

16 I have spread my couch with rugs and cushions of tapestry, with striped sheets of fine linen of Egypt.

I have decked my bed with tapestry coverlets of variegated linen from Egypt;

17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

I have perfumed my couch with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

18 C ome, let us take our fill of love until morning; let us console and delight ourselves with love.

Come, let us revel in love until the morning, let us delight ourselves with loves.

19 F or the man is not at home; he is gone on a long journey;

For the husband is not at home, he is gone a long journey;

20 H e has taken a bag of money with him and will come home at the day appointed.

he hath taken the money-bag with him, he will come home on the day of the full moon.

21 W ith much justifying and enticing argument she persuades him, with the allurements of her lips she leads him and forces him along.

With her much enticement she beguiled him; with the smoothness of her lips she constrained him.

22 S uddenly he follows her reluctantly like an ox moving to the slaughter, like one in fetters going to the correction to a fool or like a dog enticed by food to the muzzle

He went after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, and as stocks for the correction of the fool;

23 T ill a dart pierces and inflames his vitals; then like a bird fluttering straight into the net, not knowing that it will cost him his life.

till an arrow strike through his liver: as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for its life.

24 L isten to me now therefore, O you sons, and be attentive to the words of my mouth.

And now, ye sons, hearken unto me, and attend to the words of my mouth.

25 L et not your heart incline toward her ways, do not stray into her paths.

Let not thy heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths:

26 F or she has cast down many wounded; indeed, all her slain are a mighty host.

for she hath cast down many wounded, and all slain by her were strong.

27 H er house is the way to Sheol (Hades, the place of the dead), going down to the chambers of death.

Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death.