| Chapter 5 |
1 |
My son, pay attention to my wisdom. Turn your ear to my understanding: |
2 |
That you may maintain discretion, That your lips may preserve knowledge. |
3 |
For the lips of an adulteress drip honey. Her mouth is smoother than oil, |
4 |
But in the end she is as bitter as wormwood, And as sharp as a two-edged sword. |
5 |
Her feet go down to death. Her steps lead straight to Sheol. |
6 |
She gives no thought to the way of life. Her ways are crooked, and she doesn`t know it. |
7 |
Now therefore, my sons, listen to me. Don`t depart from the words of my mouth. |
8 |
Remove your way far from her. Don`t come near the door of her house, |
9 |
Lest you give your honor to others, And your years to the cruel one; |
10 |
Lest strangers feast on your wealth, And your labors enrich another man`s house. |
11 |
You will groan at your latter end, When your flesh and your body are consumed, |
12 |
And say, "How I have hated instruction, And my heart despised reproof; |
13 |
Neither have I obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor turned my ear to those who instructed me! |
14 |
I have come to the brink of utter ruin, In the midst of the gathered assembly." |
15 |
Drink water out of your own cistern, Running water out of your own well. |
16 |
Should your springs overflow in the streets, Streams of water in the public squares? |
17 |
Let them be for yourself alone, Not for strangers with you. |
18 |
Let your spring be blessed. Rejoice in the wife of your youth. |
19 |
A loving hind and a pleasant doe -- Let her breasts satisfy you at all times. Be captivated always with her love. |
20 |
For why should you, my son, be captivated with an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another? |
21 |
For the ways of man are before the eyes of Yahweh. He examines all his paths. |
22 |
The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare him. The cords of his sin hold him firmly. |
23 |
He will die for lack of instruction. In the greatness of his folly, he will go astray. |