Proverbs 5

¹ My son, be attentive to my wisdom [godly wisdom learned by costly experience],Incline your ear to my understanding;^(A)

¹ My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:

¹ My son, ^(A)give attention to my wisdom,^(B)Incline your ear to my understanding;

¹ My son, pay attention to my wisdom;listen closely^(a) to my understanding^(A)

¹ My son, pay attention to my wisdom, and listen closely to my insight,

³ For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey [like a honeycomb]And her speech is smoother than oil;^(B)

³ For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:

³ For the lips of an ^(a)(E)adulteress ^(F)drip honeyAnd ^(G)smoother than oil is her ^(b)speech;

³ Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honeyand her words are^(b) smoother than oil,

³ For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil.

⁵ Her feet go down to death;Her steps take hold of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead),

⁵ Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.

⁵ Her feet ^(J)go down to death,Her steps take hold of Sheol.

⁵ Her feet go down to death;her steps head straight for Sheol.^(E)

⁵ Her feet go down to death; her steps lead to Sheol.

⁷ Now then, my sons, listen to meAnd do not depart from (forget) the words of my mouth.

⁷ Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.

^{7 (N)}Now then, my sons, listen to meAnd ^(O)do not depart from the words of my mouth.

⁷ So now, my sons, listen to me,and don’t turn away from the words of my mouth.^(F)

⁷ Now, children, listen to me. Don't turn away from what I am saying.

⁹ Or you will give your honor to others,And your years to the cruel one,

⁹ Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:

⁹ Or you will give your vigor to othersAnd your years to the cruel one;

⁹ Otherwise, you will give up your vitality to othersand your years to someone cruel;

⁹ so that you don't give your honor to others, and waste your best years;

¹¹ And you will groan when your life is ending,When your flesh and your body are consumed;

¹¹ And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,

¹¹ And you groan at your ^(d)final end,When your flesh and your body are consumed;

¹¹ At the end of your life, you will lamentwhen your physical body has been consumed,

¹¹ You will cry out in anguish when your end comes, when your flesh and body are consumed,

¹³ “I have not listened to the voice of my teachers,Nor have I inclined my ear to those who instructed me.

¹³ And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!

¹³ “I have not listened to the voice of my ^(T)teachers,Nor inclined my ear to my instructors!

¹³ I didn’t obey my teachersor listen closely^(c) to my mentors.

¹³ I did not obey my teachers and did not listen to my instructors.

^{15 (a)}Drink water from your own ^(b)cistern [of a pure marriage relationship]And fresh running water from your own well.

¹⁵ Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.

¹⁵ Drink water from your own cisternAnd ^(e)fresh water from your own well.

¹⁵ Drink water from your own cistern,water flowing from your own well.^(I)

¹⁵ Drink water from your own cistern, and fresh water from your own well.

¹⁷ [Confine yourself to your own wife.] Let your children be yours alone,And not the children of strangers with you.

¹⁷ Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee.

¹⁷ Let them be yours aloneAnd not for strangers with you.

¹⁷ They should be for you aloneand not for you to share with strangers.

¹⁷ They should be for you alone and not for strangers who are with you.

¹⁹ Let her be as a loving hind and graceful doe,Let her breasts refresh and satisfy you at all times;Always be ^(d)exhilarated and delight in her love.

¹⁹ Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.

¹⁹ As a loving ^(Y)hind and a graceful doe,Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;Be ^(f)exhilarated always with her love.

¹⁹ A loving doe, a graceful fawn—let her breasts always satisfy you;^(L)be lost in her love forever.

¹⁹ Like a loving deer, a beautiful doe, let her breasts satisfy you all the time. Be constantly intoxicated by her love.

²¹ For the ways of man are directly before the eyes of the Lord,And He carefully watches all of his paths [all of his comings and goings].^(E)

²¹ For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings.

²¹ For the ^(AB)ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord,And He ^(AC)watches all his paths.

²¹ For a man’s ways are before the Lord’s eyes,^(N)and He considers all his paths.^(O)

²¹ Indeed, what a man does is always in the LORD's presence, and he weighs all his paths.

²³ He will die for lack of instruction (discipline),And in the greatness of his foolishness he will go astray and be lost.

²³ He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

²³ He will ^(AE)die for lack of instruction,And in the greatness of his folly he will go astray.

²³ He will die because there is no discipline,^(R)and be lost because of his great stupidity.

²³ He will die for lack of discipline, and he goes astray because of his great folly.