1 M y son, give attention to my wisdom, Incline your ear to my understanding;

My son, pay attention to my wisdom. Turn your ear to my understanding:

2 T hat you may observe discretion And your lips may reserve knowledge.

that you may maintain discretion, that your lips may preserve knowledge.

3 F or the lips of an adulteress drip honey And smoother than oil is her speech;

For the lips of an adulteress drip honey. Her mouth is smoother than oil,

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

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

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

Her feet go down to death. Her steps lead straight to Sheol.

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

She gives no thought to the way of life. Her ways are crooked, and she doesn’t know it.

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

Now therefore, my sons, listen to me. Don’t depart from the words of my mouth.

8 K eep your way far from her And do not go near the door of her house,

Remove your way far from her. Don’t come near the door of her house,

9 O r you will give your vigor to others And your years to the cruel one;

lest you give your honor to others, and your years to the cruel one;

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

lest strangers feast on your wealth, and your labors enrich another man’s house.

11 A nd you groan at your final end, When your flesh and your body are consumed;

You will groan at your latter end, when your flesh and your body are consumed,

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

and say, “How I have hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;

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

neither have I obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor turned my ear to those who instructed me!

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

I have come to the brink of utter ruin, among the gathered assembly.”

15 D rink water from your own cistern And fresh water from your own well.

Drink water out of your own cistern, running water out of your own well.

16 S hould your springs be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets?

Should your springs overflow in the streets, streams of water in the public squares?

17 L et them be yours alone And not for strangers with you.

Let them be for yourself alone, not for strangers with you.

18 L et your fountain be blessed, And rejoice in the wife of your youth.

Let your spring be blessed. Rejoice in the wife of your youth.

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

A loving doe and a graceful deer— let her breasts satisfy you at all times. Be captivated always with her love.

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

For why should you, my son, be captivated with an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another?

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

For the ways of man are before Yahweh’s eyes. He examines all his paths.

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

The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare him. The cords of his sin hold him firmly.

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

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