Warning Against The Strange Woman

1 My son, keep my sayings, and let my rules be stored up with you.

1 My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.

1 My son, (A)keep my wordsAnd treasure my commandments within you.

1 My son, obey my words,and treasure my commands.(A)

1 My son, guard what I say and treasure my commands.

2 Keep my rules and you will have life; let my teaching be to you as the light of your eyes;

2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.

2 (B)Keep my commandments and live,And my (a)teaching (C)as the (b)apple of your eye.

2 Keep my commands and live;(B)protect my teachingsas the pupil of your eye.(C)

2 Keep my commands and you'll live. Guard my teaching as you do your eyesight.

3 Let them be fixed to your fingers, and recorded in your heart.

3 Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.

3 (D)Bind them on your fingers;(E)Write them on the tablet of your heart.

3 Tie them to your fingers;write them on the tablet of your heart.(D)

3 Strap them to your fingers and engrave them on the tablet of your heart.

4 Say to wisdom, You are my sister; let knowledge be named your special friend:

4 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:

4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”And call understanding your intimate friend;

4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”(E)and call understanding your relative.

4 Say to wisdom, "You're my sister!" and call understanding your close relative,

5 So that they may keep you from the strange woman, even from her whose words are smooth.

5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.

5 That they may keep you from an (c)adulteress,From the foreigner who (d)flatters with her words.

5 She will keep you from a forbidden woman,a stranger with her flattering talk.(F)

5 so they can keep you from an adulterous woman, from the immoral woman with her seductive words.

A Story Of Seduction

6 Looking out from my house, and watching through the window,

6 For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,

6 For (F)at the window of my houseI looked out (G)through my lattice,

6 At the window of my houseI looked through my lattice.(G)

6 For from a window in my house I peered through the lattice work,

7 I saw among the young men one without sense,

7 And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,

7 And I saw among the (e)(H)naive,And discerned among the (f)youthsA young man (I)lacking (g)sense,

7 I saw among the inexperienced,(a)I noticed among the youths,a young man lacking sense.

7 and I noticed among the naive that is, I discerned among the youths a senseless young man.

8 Walking in the street near the turn of her road, going on the way to her house,

8 Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,

8 Passing through the street near (J)her corner;And he (h)takes the way to (K)her house,

8 Crossing the street near her corner,he strolled down the road to her house

8 Proceeding down the street near her corner, he makes his way toward her house

9 At nightfall, in the evening of the day, in the black dark of the night.

9 In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:

9 In the (L)twilight, in the (i)evening,In the (j)middle of the night and in the darkness.

9 at twilight, in the evening,in the dark of the night.(H)

9 at twilight, during the evening, even during the darkest part of the night.

10 And the woman came out to him, in the dress of a loose woman, with a designing heart;

10 And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.

10 And behold, a woman comes to meet him,(M)Dressed as a harlot and cunning of heart.

10 A woman came to meet himdressed like a prostitute,(I)having a hidden agenda.(b)

10 Look! A woman makes her way to meet him, dressed as a prostitute and intending to entrap him.

11 She is full of noise and uncontrolled; her feet keep not in her house.

11 (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:

11 She is (N)boisterous and rebellious,Her (O)feet do not remain at home;

11 She is loud and defiant;(J)her feet do not stay at home.(K)

11 She is brazen and defiant her feet don't remain at home.

12 Now she is in the street, now in the open spaces, waiting at every turning of the road.

12 Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)

12 She is now in the streets, now (P)in the squares,And (Q)lurks by every corner.

12 Now in the street, now in the squares,(L)she lurks at every corner.(M)

12 Now she is in the street, now in the plazas, she lurks near every corner.

13 So she took him by his hand, kissing him, and without a sign of shame she said to him:

13 So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him,

13 So she seizes him and kisses him(k)And with a (R)brazen face she says to him:

13 She grabs him and kisses him;she brazenly says(c) to him,

13 So she grabs hold of him and kisses him, with a brazen face she speaks to him,

14 I have a feast of peace-offerings, for today my oaths have been effected.

14 I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.

14 (l)I was due to offer (S)peace offerings;Today I have (T)paid my vows.

14 “I’ve made fellowship offerings;(d)today I’ve fulfilled my vows.(N)

14 "I have given my peace offerings, and today I fulfilled my vows.

15 So I came out in the hope of meeting you, looking for you with care, and now I have you.

15 Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.

15 “Therefore I have come out to meet you,To seek your presence earnestly, and I have found you.

15 So I came out to meet you,to search for you, and I’ve found you.

15 Therefore, I've come out to meet you, I've looked just for you, and I found you!

16 My bed is covered with cushions of needlework, with coloured cloths of the cotton thread of Egypt;

16 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.

16 “I have spread my couch with (U)coverings,With colored (V)linens of Egypt.

16 I’ve spread coverings on my bed(O)richly colored linen from Egypt.(P)

16 I've decorated my bed with new coverings embroidered linen from Egypt.

17 I have made my bed sweet with perfumes and spices.

17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

17 “I have sprinkled my bedWith (W)myrrh, aloes and (X)cinnamon.

17 I’ve perfumed my bedwith myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.(Q)

17 I've perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

18 Come, let us take our pleasure in love till the morning, having joy in love's delights.

18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.

18 “Come, let us drink our fill of love until morning;Let us delight ourselves with caresses.

18 Come, let’s drink deeply of lovemaking until morning.(R)Let’s feast on each other’s love!

18 Come, let's make love until dawn; let's comfort ourselves with love,

19 For the master of the house is away on a long journey:

19 For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey:

19 “For (m)my husband is not at home,He has gone on a long journey;

19 My husband isn’t home;he went on a long journey.

19 because my husband isn't home. He left on a long trip.

20 He has taken a bag of money with him; he is coming back at the full moon.

20 He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed.

20 He has taken a (Y)bag of money (n)with him,At the full moon he will come home.”

20 He took a bag of money with himand will come home at the time of the full moon.”

20 He took a fist full of cash and he'll return home in a month."

21 With her fair words she overcame him, forcing him with her smooth lips.

21 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.

21 With her many persuasions she entices him;With her (o)(Z)flattering lips she seduces him.

21 She seduces him with her persistent pleading;she lures with her flattering(e) talk.

21 She leads him astray with great persuasion; with flattering lips she seduces him.

22 The simple man goes after her, like an ox going to its death, like a roe pulled by a cord;

22 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;

22 Suddenly he follows herAs an ox goes to the slaughter,Or as (p)one in fetters to the discipline of a fool,

22 He follows her impulsivelylike an ox going to the slaughter,like a deer bounding toward a trap(f)

22 All of a sudden he follows her like an ox fit for slaughter or like a fool fit for a trap

23 Like a bird falling into a net; with no thought that his life is in danger, till an arrow goes into his side.

23 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.

23 Until an arrow pierces through his liver;As a (AA)bird hastens to the snare,So he does not know that it will cost him his life.

23 until an arrow pierces its(g) liver,(S)like a bird darting into a snare(T)he doesn’t know it will cost him his life.

23 until an arrow pierces his liver. As a bird darts into a snare, he doesn't realize his fatal decision.

Reiteration Of The Warning Against A Strange Woman

24 So now, my sons, give ear to me; give attention to the sayings of my mouth;

24 Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.

24 Now therefore, my sons, (AB)listen to me,And pay attention to the words of my mouth.

24 Now, my sons, listen to me,and pay attention to the words of my mouth.

24 So listen to me, my sons, and pay attention to what I have to say.

25 Let not your heart be turned to her ways, do not go wandering in her footsteps.

25 Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.

25 Do not let your heart (AC)turn aside to her ways,Do not stray into her paths.

25 Don’t let your heart turn aside to her ways;don’t stray onto her paths.(U)

25 Don't be led astray by her lifestyle, and don't imitate her behavior.

26 For those wounded and made low by her are great in number; and all those who have come to their death through her are a great army.

26 For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.

26 For many are the (q)victims she has cast down,And (AD)numerous are all her slain.

26 For she has brought many down to death;her victims are countless.(h)

26 For many are the victims whom she has conquered, and many are her slain.

27 Her house is the way to the underworld, going down to the rooms of death.

27 Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.

27 Her (AE)house is the way to Sheol,Descending to the chambers of death.

27 Her house is the road to Sheol,descending to the chambers of death.(V)

27 Her house leads to Sheol, descending to death's catacombs.

Basic English, produced by Mr C. K. Ogden of the Orthological Institute - public domain

Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers.

International Standard Version Copyright © 1996-2008 by the ISV Foundation.

King James Version Public Domain

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