The Wiles of a Harlot

My son, keep my words,
And (A)treasure my commands within you.
(B)Keep my commands and live,
(C)And my law as the apple of your eye.
(D)Bind them on your fingers;
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your nearest kin,
(E)That they may keep you from the immoral woman,
From the seductress who flatters with her words.

The Crafty Harlot

For at the window of my house
I looked through my lattice,
And saw among the simple,
I perceived among the [a]youths,
A young man (F)devoid[b] of understanding,
Passing along the street near her corner;
And he took the path to her house
(G)In the twilight, in the evening,
In the black and dark night.

10 And there a woman met him,
With the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart.
11 (H)She was loud and rebellious,
(I)Her feet would not stay at home.
12 At times she was outside, at times in the open square,
Lurking at every corner.
13 So she caught him and kissed him;
With an [c]impudent face she said to him:
14 I have peace offerings with me;
Today I have paid my vows.
15 So I came out to meet you,
Diligently to seek your face,
And I have found you.
16 I have spread my bed with tapestry,
Colored coverings of (J)Egyptian linen.
17 I have perfumed my bed
With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love until morning;
Let us delight ourselves with love.
19 For [d]my husband is not at home;
He has gone on a long journey;
20 He has taken a bag of money [e]with him,
And will come home [f]on the appointed day.”

21 [g]With (K)her enticing speech she caused him to yield,
(L)With her flattering lips she [h]seduced him.
22 Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or [i]as a fool to the correction of the [j]stocks,
23 Till an arrow struck his liver.
(M)As a bird hastens to the snare,
He did not know it [k]would cost his life.

24 Now therefore, listen to me, my children;
Pay attention to the words of my mouth:
25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths;
26 For she has cast down many wounded,
And (N)all who were slain by her were strong men.
27 (O)Her house is the way to [l]hell,
Descending to the chambers of death.

The Excellence of Wisdom

Does not (P)wisdom cry out,
And understanding lift up her voice?
She takes her stand on the top of the [m]high hill,
Beside the way, where the paths meet.
She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city,
At the entrance of the doors:
“To you, O men, I call,
And my voice is to the sons of men.
O you [n]simple ones, understand prudence,
And you fools, be of an understanding heart.
Listen, for I will speak of (Q)excellent things,
And from the opening of my lips will come right things;
For my mouth will speak truth;
Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
All the words of my mouth are with righteousness;
Nothing crooked or perverse is in them.
They are all plain to him who understands,
And right to those who find knowledge.
10 Receive my instruction, and not silver,
And knowledge rather than choice gold;
11 (R)For wisdom is better than rubies,
And all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.

12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
And find out knowledge and discretion.
13 (S)The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
(T)Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And (U)the perverse mouth I hate.
14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom;
I am understanding, (V)I have strength.
15 (W)By me kings reign,
And rulers decree justice.
16 By me princes rule, and nobles,
All the judges of [o]the earth.
17 (X)I love those who love me,
And (Y)those who seek me diligently will find me.
18 (Z)Riches and honor are with me,
Enduring riches and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold,
And my revenue than choice silver.
20 I [p]traverse the way of righteousness,
In the midst of the paths of justice,
21 That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth,
That I may fill their treasuries.

22 “The(AA) Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way,
Before His works of old.
23 (AB)I have been established from everlasting,
From the beginning, before there was ever an earth.
24 When there were no depths I was brought forth,
When there were no fountains abounding with water.
25 (AC)Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills, I was brought forth;
26 While as yet He had not made the earth or the [q]fields,
Or the [r]primal dust of the world.
27 When He prepared the heavens, I was there,
When He drew a circle on the face of the deep,
28 When He established the clouds above,
When He strengthened the fountains of the deep,
29 (AD)When He assigned to the sea its limit,
So that the waters would not transgress His command,
When (AE)He marked out the foundations of the earth,
30 (AF)Then I was beside Him as [s]a master craftsman;
(AG)And I was daily His delight,
Rejoicing always before Him,
31 Rejoicing in His inhabited world,
And (AH)my delight was with the sons of men.

32 “Now therefore, listen to me, my children,
For (AI)blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 Hear instruction and be wise,
And do not disdain it.
34 (AJ)Blessed is the man who listens to me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at the posts of my doors.
35 For whoever finds me finds life,
And (AK)obtains favor from the Lord;
36 But he who sins against me (AL)wrongs his own soul;
All those who hate me love death.”

The Way of Wisdom

Wisdom has (AM)built her house,
She has hewn out her seven pillars;
(AN)She has slaughtered her meat,
(AO)She has mixed her wine,
She has also [t]furnished her table.
She has sent out her maidens,
She cries out from the highest places of the city,
“Whoever(AP) is simple, let him turn in here!”
As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,
“Come,(AQ) eat of my bread
And drink of the wine I have mixed.
Forsake foolishness and live,
And go in the way of understanding.

“He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself,
And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.
(AR)Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you;
(AS)Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
Teach a just man, (AT)and he will increase in learning.

10 “The(AU) fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 (AV)For by me your days will be multiplied,
And years of life will be added to you.
12 (AW)If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,
And if you scoff, you will bear it alone.”

The Way of Folly

13 (AX)A foolish woman is [u]clamorous;
She is simple, and knows nothing.
14 For she sits at the door of her house,
On a seat (AY)by the highest places of the city,
15 To call to those who pass by,
Who go straight on their way:
16 “Whoever(AZ) is [v]simple, let him turn in here”;
And as for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,
17 “Stolen(BA) water is sweet,
And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
18 But he does not know that (BB)the dead are there,
That her guests are in the depths of [w]hell.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 7:7 Lit. sons
  2. Proverbs 7:7 lacking
  3. Proverbs 7:13 shameless
  4. Proverbs 7:19 Lit. the man
  5. Proverbs 7:20 Lit. in his hand
  6. Proverbs 7:20 at the full moon
  7. Proverbs 7:21 By the greatness of her words
  8. Proverbs 7:21 compelled
  9. Proverbs 7:22 LXX, Syr., Tg. as a dog to bonds; Vg. as a lamb . . . to bonds
  10. Proverbs 7:22 shackles
  11. Proverbs 7:23 Lit. is for
  12. Proverbs 7:27 Or Sheol
  13. Proverbs 8:2 Lit. heights
  14. Proverbs 8:5 naive
  15. Proverbs 8:16 MT, Syr., Tg., Vg. righteousness; LXX, Bg., some mss. and editions earth
  16. Proverbs 8:20 walk about on
  17. Proverbs 8:26 outer places
  18. Proverbs 8:26 Lit. beginning of the dust
  19. Proverbs 8:30 A Jewish tradition one brought up
  20. Proverbs 9:2 arranged
  21. Proverbs 9:13 boisterous
  22. Proverbs 9:16 naive
  23. Proverbs 9:18 Or Sheol

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