1 M y son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:

My son! to my wisdom give attention, To mine understanding incline thine ear,

2 T hat thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.

To observe thoughtfulness, And knowledge do thy lips keep.

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

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

4 B ut her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.

And her latter end bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a sword mouths.

5 H er feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.

Her feet are going down to death, Sheol do her steps take hold of.

6 L est thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.

The path of life -- lest thou ponder, Moved have her paths -- thou knowest not.

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

And now, ye sons, hearken to me, And turn not from sayings of my mouth.

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

Keep far from off her thy way, And come not near unto the opening of her house,

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

Lest thou give to others thy honour, And thy years to the fierce,

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

Lest strangers be filled thy power, And thy labours in the house of a stranger,

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

And thou hast howled in thy latter end, In the consumption of thy flesh and thy food,

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

And hast said, `How have I hated instruction, And reproof hath my heart despised,

13 A nd have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!

And I have not hearkened to the voice of my directors, And to my teachers have not inclined mine ear.

14 I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.

As a little thing I have been all evil, In the midst of an assembly and a company.

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

Drink waters out of thine own cistern, Even flowing ones out of thine own well.

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

Let thy fountains be scattered abroad, In broad places rivulets of waters.

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

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

18 L et thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.

Let thy fountain be blessed, And rejoice because 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.

A hind of loves, and a roe of grace! Let her loves satisfy thee at all times, In her love magnify thyself continually.

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

And why dost thou magnify thyself, My son, with a stranger? And embrace the bosom of a strange woman?

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

For over-against the eyes of Jehovah are the ways of each, And all his paths He is pondering.

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

His own iniquities do capture the wicked, And with the ropes of his sin he is holden.

23 H e shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

He dieth without instruction, And in the abundance of his folly magnifieth himself!