1My son, pay attention to my wisdom; incline your ear to my insight,My son, pay attention to my wisdom. Turn your ear to my understanding,My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:My son, attend unto my wisdom; Incline thine ear to my understanding:2that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge.that you may maintain discretion, that your lips may preserve knowledge.That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.That thou mayest preserve discretion, And that thy lips may keep knowledge.3Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil,For the lips of an adulteress drip honey. Her mouth is smoother than oil,For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:For the lips of a strange woman drop honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil:4in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a double-edged sword.but in the end she is as bitter as wormwood, and as sharp as a two-edged sword.But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword.5Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to Sheol.Her feet go down to death. Her steps lead straight to Sheol.Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.Her feet go down to death; Her steps take hold on Sheol;6She does not consider the path of life; she does not know that her ways are unstable.She gives no thought to the way of life. Her ways are crooked, and she doesn’t know it.Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.So that she findeth not the level path of life: Her ways are unstable, and she knoweth it not.7So now, my sons, listen to me, and do not turn aside from the words of my mouth.Now therefore, my sons, listen to me. Don’t depart from the words of my mouth.Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.Now therefore, my sons, hearken unto me, And depart not from the words of my mouth.8Keep your path far from her; do not go near the door of her house,Remove your way far from her. Don’t come near the door of her house,Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:Remove thy way far from her, And come not nigh the door of her house;9lest you concede your vigor to others, and your years to one who is cruel;lest you give your honor to others, and your years to the cruel one;Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:Lest thou give thine honor unto others, And thy years unto the cruel;10lest strangers feast on your wealth, and your labors enrich the house of a foreigner.lest strangers feast on your wealth, and your labors enrich another man’s house.Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;Lest strangers be filled with thy strength, And thy labors be in the house of an alien,11At the end of your life you will groan when your flesh and your body are spent,You will groan at your latter end, when your flesh and your body are consumed,And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,And thou mourn at thy latter end, When thy flesh and thy body are consumed,12and you will say, “How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof!and say, “How I have hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof.And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;And say, How have I hated instruction, And my heart despised reproof;13I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my mentors.I haven’t obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor turned my ear to those who instructed me!And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!Neither have I obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!14I am on the brink of utter ruin in the midst of the whole assembly.”I have come to the brink of utter ruin, among the gathered assembly.”I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.I was well-nigh in all evil In the midst of the assembly and congregation.15Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well.Drink water out of your own cistern, running water out of your own well.Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.Drink waters out of thine own cistern, And running waters out of thine own well.16Why should your springs flow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares?Should your springs overflow in the streets, streams of water in the public squares?Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets.Should thy springs be dispersed abroad, And streams of water in the streets?17Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers.Let them be for yourself alone, not for strangers with you.Let them be only thine own, and not strangers’ with thee.Let them be for thyself alone, And not for strangers with thee.18May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth:Let your spring be blessed. Rejoice in the wife of your youth.Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.Let thy fountain be blessed; And rejoice in the wife of thy youth.19A loving doe, a graceful fawn—may her breasts satisfy you always; may you be captivated by her love forever.A loving doe and a graceful deer— let her breasts satisfy you at all times. Be captivated always with her love.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.As a loving hind and a pleasant doe, Let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; And be thou ravished always with her love.20Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress, or embrace the bosom of a stranger?For why should you, my son, be captivated with an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another?And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?For why shouldest thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, And embrace the bosom of a foreigner?21For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and the LORD examines all his paths.For the ways of man are before Yahweh’s eyes. He examines all his paths.For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings.For the ways of man are before the eyes of Jehovah; And he maketh level all his paths.22The iniquities of a wicked man entrap him; the cords of his sin entangle him.The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare him. The cords of his sin hold him firmly.His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.His own iniquities shall take the wicked, And he shall be holden with the cords of his sin.23He dies for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly.He will die for lack of instruction. In the greatness of his folly, he will go astray.He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.He shall die for lack of instruction; And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
Berean Standard Bible (public domain).World English Bible (public domain).King James Version (public domain in the US).American Standard Version, 1901 (public domain).