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

My son, give attention to my wisdom, Incline your ear to my understanding;

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

That you may observe discretion And your lips may reserve knowledge.

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

For the lips of an adulteress drip honey And smoother than oil is her speech;

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

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

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

Her feet go down to death, Her steps take hold of Sheol.

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

She does not ponder the path of life; Her ways are unstable, she does not know it.

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

Now then, my sons, listen to me And do not depart from the words of my mouth.

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

Keep your way far from her And do not go near the door of her house,

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

Or you will give your vigor to others And your years to the cruel one;

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

And strangers will be filled with your strength And your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien;

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

And you groan at your final end, When your flesh and your body are consumed;

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

And you say, “How I have hated instruction! And my heart spurned reproof!

13 N either have I obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!

“I have not listened to the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined my ear to my instructors!

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

“I was almost in utter ruin In the midst of the assembly and congregation.”

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

Drink water from your own cistern And fresh water from your own well.

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

Should your springs be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets?

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

Let them be yours alone And not for strangers with you.

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

Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice in the wife of your youth.

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

As a loving hind and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; Be exhilarated always with her love.

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

For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an adulteress And embrace the bosom of a foreigner?

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

For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord, And He watches all his paths.

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

His own iniquities will capture the wicked, And he will be held with the cords of his sin.

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

He will die for lack of instruction, And in the greatness of his folly he will go astray.