Warning Against The Strange Woman

1 My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments by 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 Keep my commandments and my law, even as the apple of thine eye, and thou shalt live.

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, write them in the table 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 unto wisdom, "Thou art my sister," and call understanding thy kinswoman:

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 That she may keep thee from the strange woman, and from the harlot which giveth sweet words.

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 out of the window of my house I looked through the trellis,

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 beheld the simple people: and among other young folks I spied one young fool

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 going over the streets, by the corner, in the way toward the harlot's 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 of the evening, when it began now to be night and dark.

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, there met him a woman with open tokens of a harlot. Only her heart was hid.

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 was full of loud words and ready to dally: whose feet could not abide in the 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 is she without, now in the streets, and lurketh in 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 caught the young man, kissed him, and was not ashamed, saying,

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 had a vow to pay, and this day I perform it.

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 Therefore came I forth to meet thee, that I might seek thy face, and so I have found 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 I have decked my bed with coverings and clothes 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 My bed have I made to smell of Myrrh, 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, let us lie together, and take our pleasure till it be daylight.

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 goodman is not at home, he is gone 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 hath taken the bag of money with him: who can tell when he cometh home?"

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 Thus with many sweet words she overcame him, and with her flattering lips she enticed him

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 suddenly to follow her - as it were an ox to the slaughter, and like as it were a fool that laugheth when he goeth to the stocks to be punished -

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 so long till she hath wounded his liver with her dart: like as if a bird hasted to the snare, not knowing that the peril of his life lieth thereupon.

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 Hear me now therefore, O my son, and mark the words 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 thine heart wander in her ways, and be thou not deceived in her 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 many a one hath she wounded and cast down, yea many a strong man hath she slain.

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 houses are the way to hell, where men go down into 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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