1 M y son, keep my words, and hold together my teachings within you.

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

2 K eep my words and live. Keep my teachings as you would your own eye.

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

3 T ie them upon your fingers. Write them upon your heart.

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

4 S ay to wisdom, “You are my sister.” Call understanding your special friend.

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

5 T hey will keep you from the strange woman, from the stranger with her smooth words.

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

6 F or I looked out through the wood-work at the window of my house.

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

7 A nd I saw among the child-like and among the young people a young man without wisdom and understanding.

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

8 H e passed through the street near her corner and took the path to her house,

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

9 i n the light of the evening, after it was dark.

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

10 S ee, a woman comes to meet him. She is dressed like a woman who sells the use of her body, and with a heart that wants to fool and trap someone.

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

11 S he is loud and has a strong self-will. Her feet do not stay at home.

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

12 S he is now in the street, now in the center of town where people gather. She lies in wait at every corner.

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

13 S o she catches him and kisses him. With a hard face she says to him,

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

14 “ It was time for me to give gifts on the altar in worship, and today I have paid what I promised.

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

15 S o I have come out to meet you, to look for you, 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 bed with coverings of linen cloth from Egypt.

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

17 I have perfumed my bed with fine perfumes and spices.

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

18 C ome, let us take our fill of love until morning. Let us make ourselves happy with love.

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

19 F or my husband is not at home. He has gone on a long trip.

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

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

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

21 S he leads him away with her tempting talk. She tempts him with the smooth words of her lips.

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

22 A ll at once he follows her, like a bull going to be killed, like a wild animal goes into a trap,

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 cuts through him. Like a bird that hurries into the net, he does not know that he will lose 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 S o, my sons, listen to me. Listen 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 turn aside into her paths.

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

26 F or she has hurt many and destroyed many others. She has killed a great number.

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

27 H er house is the way to hell, going down to the rooms of death.

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