The strange woman
My son, pay attention to my wisdom and listen closely to my understanding, so you can preserve discretion and your lips can keep knowledge. The lips of a strange woman drip like honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil. But in the end she is bitter as wormwood and sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell. She doesn't consider the path of life. Her ways wander, and you can't know where they'll lead. So listen to me now, children, and don't depart from the words of my mouth. Keep well away from her, and don't go near the door of her house, or you'll give your honour to others and your years to the cruel, and strangers will consume your wealth while your labour ends up in another man's house. In the end you'll groan, when your flesh and body are worn away, and say, ‘How I hated instruction! How my heart despised correction!’ ‘I wouldn't listen to my teachers or pay attention to those who instructed me.’ ‘I was on the verge of complete ruin in front of the whole assembly.’
My son, pay attention to my wisdom, and turn your ear to my understanding — so you keep good thinking, and your lips keep knowledge. Because the lips of a strange woman drip like a honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil. But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death. Her steps take hold of the grave. So you won't think about the path of life. Her ways move about so you can't know them. So listen to me now, you children, and don't turn away from the words of my mouth. Keep your way far from her, and don't come near the door of her house — or you'll give your honour to others, and your years to the cruel, or strangers will be filled with your strength, and what you worked for will be in the house of a foreigner. And you'll mourn at the last, when your flesh and your body are worn out, and say: How I hated teaching, and my heart sneered at telling-off, and I haven't listened to the voice of my teachers or turned my ear to the ones who taught me. I was nearly in every kind of trouble, in the middle of the gathering and the meeting.
My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding: That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge. For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell. Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them. Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth. Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house: Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel: Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger; And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed, And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof; And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me! I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.
My son, pay attention to my wisdom and listen closely to my understanding,
My son, pay attention to my wisdom, and turn your ear to my understanding —
My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:
so you can preserve discretion and your lips can keep knowledge.
so you keep good thinking, and your lips keep knowledge.
That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.
The lips of a strange woman drip like honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil.
Because the lips of a strange woman drip like a honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil.
For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:
But in the end she is bitter as wormwood and sharp as a two-edged sword.
But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.
Her feet go down to death. Her steps take hold of the grave.
Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.
She doesn't consider the path of life. Her ways wander, and you can't know where they'll lead.
So you won't think about the path of life. Her ways move about so you can't know them.
Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.
So listen to me now, children, and don't depart from the words of my mouth.
So listen to me now, you children, and don't turn away from the words of my mouth.
Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.
Keep well away from her, and don't go near the door of her house,
Keep your way far from her, and don't come near the door of her house —
Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:
or you'll give your honour to others and your years to the cruel,
or you'll give your honour to others, and your years to the cruel,
Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:
and strangers will consume your wealth while your labour ends up in another man's house.
or strangers will be filled with your strength, and what you worked for will be in the house of a foreigner.
Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;
In the end you'll groan, when your flesh and body are worn away,
And you'll mourn at the last, when your flesh and your body are worn out,
And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,
and say, ‘How I hated instruction! How my heart despised correction!’
and say: How I hated teaching, and my heart sneered at telling-off,
And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;
‘I wouldn't listen to my teachers or pay attention to those who instructed me.’
and I haven't listened to the voice of my teachers or turned my ear to the ones who taught me.
And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!
‘I was on the verge of complete ruin in front of the whole assembly.’
I was nearly in every kind of trouble, in the middle of the gathering and the meeting.
I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.
Your own cistern
Drink water from your own cistern and running water from your own well. Should your fountains be scattered abroad, your streams of water running through the streets? Let them be yours alone, not shared with strangers. Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice with the wife of your youth. Let her be like a loving hind and a pleasant roe. Let her breasts satisfy you always, and always be captivated by her love. So why, my son, would you be captivated by another woman or embrace someone else's wife? For a man's ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and he considers all his paths. The wicked are caught by their own wrongdoing and held tight by the ropes of their sins. They die without instruction and go astray through the greatness of their folly.
Drink waters out of your own cistern, and running waters out of your own well. Should your springs be spread out abroad, streams of water in the streets? Let them be yours alone, and not strangers' with you. Let your fountain be blessed, and celebrate with the wife of your youth. Let her be like a loving deer and a graceful doe. Let her breasts satisfy you always, and be always taken up with her love. And why would you, my son, be taken up with a strange woman and hold the chest of a foreigner? Because the ways of man are in front of the eyes of the Lord, and he weighs up all his paths. His own wickedness will take the wicked man, and he'll be held with the cords of his own sin. He'll die without teaching, and in the greatness of his folly he'll go astray.
Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well. Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets. Let them be only thine own, and not strangers’ with thee. Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. 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. And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger? For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings. His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins. He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
Drink water from your own cistern and running water from your own well.
Drink waters out of your own cistern, and running waters out of your own well.
Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.
Should your fountains be scattered abroad, your streams of water running through the streets?
Should your springs be spread out abroad, streams of water in the streets?
Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets.
Let them be yours alone, not shared with strangers.
Let them be yours alone, and not strangers' with you.
Let them be only thine own, and not strangers’ with thee.
Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice with the wife of your youth.
Let your fountain be blessed, and celebrate with the wife of your youth.
Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.
Let her be like a loving hind and a pleasant roe. Let her breasts satisfy you always, and always be captivated by her love.
Let her be like a loving deer and a graceful doe. Let her breasts satisfy you always, and be always taken up 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.
So why, my son, would you be captivated by another woman or embrace someone else's wife?
And why would you, my son, be taken up with a strange woman and hold the chest of a foreigner?
And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?
For a man's ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and he considers all his paths.
Because the ways of man are in front of the eyes of the Lord, and he weighs up all his paths.
For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings.
The wicked are caught by their own wrongdoing and held tight by the ropes of their sins.
His own wickedness will take the wicked man, and he'll be held with the cords of his own sin.
His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.
They die without instruction and go astray through the greatness of their folly.
He'll die without teaching, and in the greatness of his folly he'll go astray.
He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.