Avoid Seduction

1 My child, be attentive to my wisdom, pay close attention to my understanding,

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,

2 in order to safeguard discretion, and that your lips may guard knowledge.

2 That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.

2 That you may (C)observe discretionAnd your (D)lips may reserve knowledge.

2 so that you may maintain discretionand your lips safeguard knowledge.(B)

2 so you may carefully practice discretion and your lips preserve knowledge.

3 For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey, and her seductive words are smoother than olive oil,

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.

4 but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.

4 But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.

4 But in the end she is (H)bitter as wormwood,(I)Sharp as a two-edged sword.

4 in the end she’s as bitter as wormwood(C)and as sharp as a double-edged sword.(D)

4 But in the end she is as bitter as wormwood, and as sharp as a double-edged sword.

5 Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.

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.

6 Lest she should make level the path leading to life, her paths are unstable but she does not know it.

6 Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.

6 (c)She does not ponder the (K)path of life;Her ways are (L)unstable, she (M)does not know it.

6 She doesn’t consider the path of life;she doesn’t know that her ways are unstable.

6 You aren't thinking about where her life is headed; her steps wander, but you do not realize it.

Do Not Commit Adultery Against Wisdom

7 So now, children, listen to me; do not turn aside from the words I speak.

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.

8 Keep yourself far from her, and do not go near the door of her house,

8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:

8 (P)Keep your way far from herAnd do not go near the (Q)door of her house,

8 Keep your way far from her.Don’t go near the door of her house.(G)

8 Keep far away from her, and don't go near the entrance to her house,

9 lest you give your vigor to others and your years to a cruel person,

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;

10 lest strangers devour your strength, and your labor benefit another man's house.

10 Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;

10 And strangers will be filled with your strengthAnd your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien;

10 strangers will drain your resources,and your earnings will end up in a foreigner’s house.

10 so that strangers don't enrich themselves at your expense, and your work won't end up the possession of foreigners.

11 And at the end of your life you will groan when your flesh and your body are wasted away.

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,

12 And you will say, "How I hated discipline! My heart spurned reproof!

12 And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;

12 And you say, “How I have (R)hated instruction!And my heart (S)spurned reproof!

12 and you will say, “How I hated discipline,and how my heart despised correction.(H)

12 and you will say, "How I hated instruction, and my heart rejected correction!

13 For I did not obey my teachers and I did not heed my instructors.

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.

14 I almost came to complete ruin in the midst of the whole congregation!"

14 I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.

14 “I was almost in utter ruinIn the midst of the assembly and congregation.”

14 I am on the verge of complete ruinbefore the entire community.”

14 Now I am at the point of utter disaster in the assembly and in the congregation."

Enjoy Marriage

15 Drink water from your own cistern and 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.

16 Should your springs be dispersed outside, your streams of water in the wide plazas?

16 Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets.

16 Should your (U)springs be dispersed abroad,Streams of water in the streets?

16 Should your springs flow in the streets,streams of water in the public squares?(J)

16 Should your springs flow outside, or streams of water in the street?

17 Let them be for yourself alone, and not for 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.

18 May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in your young wife --

18 Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.

18 Let your (V)fountain be blessed,And (W)rejoice in the (X)wife of your youth.

18 Let your fountain be blessed,and take pleasure in the wife of your youth.(K)

18 Let your fountain be blessed and enjoy the wife of your youth.

19 a loving doe, a graceful deer; may her breasts satisfy you at all times, may you be captivated by her love always.

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.

20 But why should you be captivated, my son, by an adulteress, and embrace the bosom of a different woman?

20 And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?

20 For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an (g)(Z)adulteressAnd embrace the bosom of a (AA)foreigner?

20 Why, my son, would you be infatuatedwith a forbidden womanor embrace the breast of a stranger?(M)

20 Why should you be intoxicated by an adulteress, my son, and embrace the bosom of a foreign woman?

21 For the ways of a person are in front of the Lord's eyes, and the Lord weighs all that person's paths.

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.

22 The wicked will be captured by his own iniquities, and he will be held by the cords of his own sin.

22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.

22 His (AD)own iniquities will capture the wicked,And he will be held with the cords of his sin.

22 A wicked man’s iniquities entrap him;(P)he is entangled in the ropes of his own sin.(Q)

22 The wicked person's iniquities will capture him, and he will be held with the cords of his sin.

23 He will die because there was no discipline; because of the greatness of his folly he will reel.

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.

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