Proverbs 5
Young's Literal Translation
5 My son! to my wisdom give attention, To mine understanding incline thine ear,
2 To observe thoughtfulness, And knowledge do thy lips keep.
3 For the lips of a strange woman drop honey, And smoother than oil [is] her mouth,
4 And her latter end [is] bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a sword [with] mouths.
5 Her feet are going down to death, Sheol do her steps take hold of.
6 The path of life -- lest thou ponder, Moved have her paths -- thou knowest not.
7 And now, ye sons, hearken to me, And turn not from sayings of my mouth.
8 Keep far from off her thy way, And come not near unto the opening of her house,
9 Lest thou give to others thy honour, And thy years to the fierce,
10 Lest strangers be filled [with] thy power, And thy labours in the house of a stranger,
11 And thou hast howled in thy latter end, In the consumption of thy flesh and thy food,
12 And hast said, `How have I hated instruction, And reproof hath my heart despised,
13 And I have not hearkened to the voice of my directors, And to my teachers have not inclined mine ear.
14 As a little thing I have been all evil, In the midst of an assembly and a company.
15 Drink waters out of thine own cistern, Even flowing ones out of thine own well.
16 Let thy fountains be scattered abroad, In broad places rivulets of waters.
17 Let them be to thee for thyself, And not to strangers with thee.
18 Let thy fountain be blessed, And rejoice because of the wife of thy youth,
19 A hind of loves, and a roe of grace! Let her loves satisfy thee at all times, In her love magnify thyself continually.
20 And why dost thou magnify thyself, My son, with a stranger? And embrace the bosom of a strange woman?
21 For over-against the eyes of Jehovah are the ways of each, And all his paths He is pondering.
22 His own iniquities do capture the wicked, And with the ropes of his sin he is holden.
23 He dieth without instruction, And in the abundance of his folly magnifieth himself!
Proverbs 5
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised
Warning against Impurity and Infidelity
5 My child, be attentive to my wisdom;
incline your ear to my understanding,
2 so that you may hold on to prudence,
and your lips may guard knowledge.
3 For the lips of a loose[a] woman drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil;
4 but in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps follow the path to Sheol.
6 She does not keep straight to the path of life;
her ways wander, and she does not know it.
7 And now, my child,[b] listen to me,
and do not depart from the words of my mouth.
8 Keep your way far from her,
and do not go near the door of her house;
9 or you will give your honour to others,
and your years to the merciless,
10 and strangers will take their fill of your wealth,
and your labours will go to the house of an alien;
11 and at the end of your life you will groan,
when your flesh and body are consumed,
12 and you say, ‘Oh, how I hated discipline,
and my heart despised reproof!
13 I did not listen to the voice of my teachers
or incline my ear to my instructors.
14 Now I am at the point of utter ruin
in the public assembly.’
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
flowing water from your own well.
16 Should your springs be scattered abroad,
streams of water in the streets?
17 Let them be for yourself alone,
and not for sharing with strangers.
18 Let your fountain be blessed,
and rejoice in the wife of your youth,
19 a lovely deer, a graceful doe.
May her breasts satisfy you at all times;
may you be intoxicated always by her love.
20 Why should you be intoxicated, my son, by another woman
and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?
21 For human ways are under the eyes of the Lord,
and he examines all their paths.
22 The iniquities of the wicked ensnare them,
and they are caught in the toils of their sin.
23 They die for lack of discipline,
and because of their great folly they are lost.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 5:3 Heb strange
- Proverbs 5:7 Gk Vg: Heb children
Proverbs 5
New International Version
Warning Against Adultery
5 My son,(A) pay attention to my wisdom,
turn your ear to my words(B) of insight,
2 that you may maintain discretion
and your lips may preserve knowledge.
3 For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil;(C)
4 but in the end she is bitter as gall,(D)
sharp as a double-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead straight to the grave.(E)
6 She gives no thought to the way of life;
her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it.(F)
7 Now then, my sons, listen(G) to me;
do not turn aside from what I say.
8 Keep to a path far from her,(H)
do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you lose your honor to others
and your dignity[a] to one who is cruel,
10 lest strangers feast on your wealth
and your toil enrich the house of another.(I)
11 At the end of your life you will groan,
when your flesh and body are spent.
12 You will say, “How I hated discipline!
How my heart spurned correction!(J)
13 I would not obey my teachers
or turn my ear to my instructors.
14 And I was soon in serious trouble(K)
in the assembly of God’s people.”(L)
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
running water from your own well.
16 Should your springs overflow in the streets,
your streams of water in the public squares?
17 Let them be yours alone,
never to be shared with strangers.
18 May your fountain(M) be blessed,
and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.(N)
19 A loving doe, a graceful deer(O)—
may her breasts satisfy you always,
may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
20 Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife?
Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?
Footnotes
- Proverbs 5:9 Or years
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