1 M y son, pay attention to my wisdom; Lend your ear to my understanding,

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

2 T hat you may preserve discretion, And your lips may keep knowledge.

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

3 F or the lips of an immoral woman drip 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 lay hold of hell.

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

6 L est you ponder her path of life— Her ways are unstable; You do not know them.

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

7 T herefore hear me now, my children, And do not depart 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 your way far from her, And do not go near the door of her house,

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

9 L est you give your honor to others, And your years to the cruel one;

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

10 L est aliens be filled with your wealth, And your labors go to the house of a foreigner;

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

11 A nd you mourn at last, When your flesh and your body are consumed,

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

12 A nd say: “How I have hated instruction, And my heart despised correction!

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

13 I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me!

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

14 I was on the verge of total ruin, 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 water from your own cistern, And running water from your own well.

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

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

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

17 L et them be only your own, And not for strangers with you.

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

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

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

19 A s a loving deer and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; And always be enraptured 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 should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman, And be embraced in the arms of a seductress?

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 the Lord, And He ponders 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 entrap the wicked man, And he is caught in 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.