Proverbs 7

New American Standard Bible

⁶ For ^(F)at the window of my house
I looked out ^(G)through my lattice,
⁷ And I saw among the ^(H)naive,
And discerned among the ^[d]youths
A young man ^(I)lacking ^[e]sense,
⁸ Passing through the street near ^(J)her corner;
And he walks along the way to ^(K)her house,
⁹ In the ^(L)twilight, in the ^[f]evening,
In the ^[g]middle of the night and the darkness.
¹⁰ And behold, a woman comes to meet him,
^(M)Dressed as a prostitute and cunning of heart.
¹¹ She is ^(N)boisterous and rebellious,
Her ^(O)feet do not remain at home;
¹² She is now in the streets, now ^(P)in the public squares,
And ^(Q)lurks by every corner.
¹³ So she seizes him and kisses him,
^[h]And with a ^(R)brazen face she says to him:
¹⁴ “^[i]I was due to offer ^(S)peace offerings;
Today I have ^(T)paid my vows.
¹⁵ Therefore I have come out to meet you,
To seek your presence diligently, and I have found you.
¹⁶ I have spread my couch with ^(U)coverings,
With colored ^(V)linens of Egypt.
¹⁷ I have sprinkled my bed
With ^(W)myrrh, aloes, and ^(X)cinnamon.
¹⁸ Come, let’s drink our fill of love until morning;
Let’s delight ourselves with caresses.
¹⁹ For ^[j]my husband is not at home;
He has gone on a long journey.
²⁰ He has taken a ^(Y)bag of money ^[k]with him.
At the full moon he will come home.”
²¹ With her many persuasions she entices him;
With her ^[l](Z)flattering lips she seduces him.
²² Suddenly he follows her
As an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or as ^[m]one walks in ankle bracelets to the discipline of a fool,
²³ Until an arrow pierces through his liver;
As a ^(AA)bird hurries to the snare,
So he does not know that it will cost him his life.

²⁴ Now therefore, my sons, ^(AB)listen to me,
And pay attention to the words of my mouth.
²⁵ Do not let your heart ^(AC)turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths.
²⁶ For many are the ^[n]victims she has brought to ruin,
And ^(AD)numerous are all those slaughtered by her.
²⁷ Her ^(AE)house is the way to Sheol,
Descending to the chambers of death.