1 M y son, keep my words And treasure my commandments within you.

My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.

2 K eep my commandments and live, And my teaching as the apple of your eye.

Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.

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

Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.

4 S ay to wisdom, “You are my sister,” And call understanding your intimate friend;

Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:

5 T hat they may keep you from an adulteress, From the foreigner who flatters with her words.

That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.

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

For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,

7 A nd I saw among the naive, And discerned among the youths A young man lacking sense,

And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,

8 P assing through the street near her corner; And he takes the way to her house,

Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,

9 I n the twilight, in the evening, In the middle of the night and in the darkness.

In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:

10 A nd behold, a woman comes to meet him, Dressed as a harlot and cunning of heart.

And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.

11 S he is boisterous and rebellious, Her feet do not remain at home;

(She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:

12 S he is now in the streets, now in the squares, And lurks by every corner.

Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)

13 S o she seizes him and kisses him And with a brazen face she says to him:

So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him,

14 “ I was due to offer peace offerings; Today I have paid my vows.

I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.

15 “ Therefore I have come out to meet you, To seek your presence earnestly, and I have found you.

Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.

16 “ I have spread my couch with coverings, With colored linens of Egypt.

I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.

17 “ I have sprinkled my bed With myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.

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

18 “ Come, let us drink our fill of love until morning; Let us delight ourselves with caresses.

Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.

19 “ For my husband is not at home, He has gone on a long journey;

For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey:

20 H e has taken a bag of money with him, At the full moon he will come home.”

He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed.

21 W ith her many persuasions she entices him; With her flattering lips she seduces him.

With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.

22 S uddenly he follows her As an ox goes to the slaughter, Or as one in fetters to the discipline of a fool,

He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;

23 U ntil an arrow pierces through his liver; As a bird hastens to the snare, So he does not know that it will cost him his life.

Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.

24 N ow therefore, my sons, listen to me, And pay attention to the words of my mouth.

Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.

25 D o not let your heart turn aside to her ways, Do not stray into her paths.

Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.

26 F or many are the victims she has cast down, And numerous are all her slain.

For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.

27 H er house is the way to Sheol, Descending to the chambers of death.

Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.