Warning Against The Strange Woman

1 My son, watch my words, and thou shalt hide my commands with thee.

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 Watch my commands, and live; and my law as the pupil of thine 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 Bind them upon thy fingers, and write them upon the tablet of thine 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, Thou my sister; and thou shalt call knowledge to understanding:

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 To watch thyself from the strange woman, from the stranger making smooth her sayings.

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 For in the window of my house I looked forth through my lattice,

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 And I shall see among the simple, I shall perceive among the sons a youth wanting heart,

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 Passing in the street near her corner; and he will step the way of 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 In the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the middle of the night, in the thick darkness:

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 behold, a woman to his meeting, the attire of a harlot, and hidden of 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 being noisy and perverse; her feet will not dwell 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 One time without, one time in the broad ways; and she will lie in wait near every corner.

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 She laid hold upon him and kissed to him; she strengthened her face, and she will say 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 Sacrifices of peace upon me: today I repaid my vows.

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 For this, I shall come forth to thy meeting, to seek thy face, and I shall find thee.

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 With adornings I spread my bed, variegated with 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 sprinkled my bed with myrrh and aloes and cinnamon.

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, we will be satisfied with loves till the morning: we will rejoice ourselves with loves.

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 man not in the house, he went in a way far off.

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 took a bundle of silver in his hand; he will come to his house the day of 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 much of her talking she caused him to turn aside; with the smoothness of her lips she will thrust him away.

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 He went after her suddenly as the ox will go to the slaughter, and as the fetter for the correction of the foolish.

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 Till an arrow shall cleave his liver; as a bird hastening to the snare, and not knowing that it is for his soul.

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 And now, ye sons, hear to me, and attend 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 And thy heart shall not deviate to her ways; thou shalt not wander in her beaten paths.

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 she cast down many wounded, and the strong all being slain by her.

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 the ways to hades, going down to the chambers 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.

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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