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

My son! keep my sayings, And my commands lay up 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 commands, and live, And my law as the pupil of thine eye.

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

Bind them on thy fingers, Write them on 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 to wisdom, `My sister Thou.' And cry to understanding, `Kinswoman!'

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

To preserve thee from a strange woman, From a stranger who hath made smooth her sayings.

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

For, at a window of my house, Through my casement I have looked out,

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 do see among the simple ones, I discern among the sons, A young man lacking understanding,

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

Passing on in the street, near her corner, And the way her house he doth step,

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

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

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

And, lo, a woman to meet him -- (A harlot's dress, and watchful of heart,

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

Noisy she, and stubborn, In her house her feet rest not.

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

Now in an out-place, now in broad places, And near every corner she lieth in wait) --

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

And she laid hold on him, and kissed him, She hath hardened her face, and saith to him,

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

`Sacrifices of peace-offerings by me, To-day I have completed my vows.

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

Therefore I have come forth to meet thee, To seek earnestly thy face, and I find thee.

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

ornamental coverings I decked my couch, Carved works -- cotton of Egypt.

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

I sprinkled my bed -- 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, we are filled loves till the morning, We delight ourselves in loves.

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

For the man is not in his house, He hath gone on a long journey.

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

A bag of money he hath taken in his hand, At the day of the new moon he cometh to his house.'

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

She turneth him aside with the abundance of her speech, With the flattery of her lips she forceth 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 is going after her straightway, As an ox unto the slaughter he cometh, And as a fetter unto the chastisement of a 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 doth split his liver, As a bird hath hastened unto a snare, And hath not known that it 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 to me, And give attention to sayings of my mouth.

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

Let not thy heart turn unto her ways, Do not wander in her paths,

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

For many the wounded she caused to fall, And mighty all her slain ones.

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

The ways of Sheol -- her house, Going down unto inner chambers of death!