1 ¶ My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my intelligence;

My son, attend unto my wisdom, incline thine ear to my understanding;

2 t hat thou may keep council and that thy lips may conserve knowledge.

that thou mayest keep reflection, and that thy lips may preserve knowledge.

3 F or the lips of the strange woman drop as a honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil,

For the lips of the strange woman drop honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil;

4 B ut her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.

but her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.

5 H er feet go down to death, her steps uphold Sheol,

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

6 l est thou should ponder the path of life, her ways are unstable; thou shalt not know them.

Lest she should ponder the path of life, her ways wander, she knoweth not.

7 H ear me now therefore, O ye sons, and do not depart from the words of my mouth.

And now, children, hearken unto me, and depart not from the words of my mouth.

8 R emove thy way far from her, and do not come near the door of her house,

Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:

9 l est thou give thine honour unto others and thy years unto the cruel,

lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel;

10 l est strangers be filled with thy wealth, and thy labours be in the house of a stranger,

lest strangers be filled with thy wealth, and the fruits of thy toil into the house of a stranger;

11 a nd thou mourn at the last when thy flesh and thy body are consumed

and thou mourn in thine end, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed;

12 a nd say, How have I hated chastening and my heart despised reproof

and thou say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof!

13 a nd have not obeyed the voice of those who chastened me, nor inclined my ear to those that instructed me!

and I have not hearkened unto the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to those that instructed me;

14 I have been in almost every kind of evil, in the midst of society and of the congregation.

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

15 ¶ Drink waters out of thine own cistern and running waters out of thine own well.

Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.

16 L et thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of thy waters in the streets.

Thy fountains shall be poured forth, as water-brooks in the broadways.

17 L et them be only thine own and not for strangers with thee.

Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee.

18 T hy fountain shall be blessed; and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.

Let thy fountain be blessed; and have joy of the wife of thy youth.

19 L et her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love, without eyes for anyone else.

As a lovely hind and a graceful roe, let her breasts satisfy thee at all times: be thou ravished continually with her love.

20 A nd why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a woman belonging to someone else, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?

And why shouldest thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?

21 F or the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he weighs all his goings.

For the ways of man are before the eyes of Jehovah, and he pondereth all his paths.

22 H is own iniquities shall take hold of the wicked, and he shall be imprisoned with the cords of his sins.

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

23 H e shall die because he did not submit to chastening; and due to the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

He shall die for want of discipline; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.