Proverbs 5

Avoid Immoral Women

1My son, pay attention to my wisdom;

listen carefully to my wise counsel.

2Then you will show discernment,

and your lips will express what you’ve learned.

3For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey,

and her mouth is smoother than oil.

4But in the end she is as bitter as poison,

as dangerous as a double-edged sword.

5Her feet go down to death;

her steps lead straight to the grave.*5:5 Hebrew to Sheol.

6For she cares nothing about the path to life.

She staggers down a crooked trail and doesn’t realize it.

7So now, my sons, listen to me.

Never stray from what I am about to say:

8Stay away from her!

Don’t go near the door of her house!

9If you do, you will lose your honor

and will lose to merciless people all you have achieved.

10Strangers will consume your wealth,

and someone else will enjoy the fruit of your labor.

11In the end you will groan in anguish

when disease consumes your body.

12You will say, “How I hated discipline!

If only I had not ignored all the warnings!

13Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers?

Why didn’t I pay attention to my instructors?

14I have come to the brink of utter ruin,

and now I must face public disgrace.”

15Drink water from your own well—

share your love only with your wife.*5:15 Hebrew Drink water from your own cistern, / flowing water from your own well.

16Why spill the water of your springs in the streets,

having sex with just anyone?*5:16 Hebrew Why spill your springs in the streets, / your streams in the city squares?

17You should reserve it for yourselves.

Never share it with strangers.

18Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you.

Rejoice in the wife of your youth.

19She is a loving deer, a graceful doe.

Let her breasts satisfy you always.

May you always be captivated by her love.

20Why be captivated, my son, by an immoral woman,

or fondle the breasts of a promiscuous woman?

21For the Lord sees clearly what a man does,

examining every path he takes.

22An evil man is held captive by his own sins;

they are ropes that catch and hold him.

23He will die for lack of self-control;

he will be lost because of his great foolishness.

Proverbs 6

Lessons for Daily Life

1My child,*6:1 Hebrew My son. if you have put up security for a friend’s debt

or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger—

2if you have trapped yourself by your agreement

and are caught by what you said—

3follow my advice and save yourself,

for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy.

Now swallow your pride;

go and beg to have your name erased.

4Don’t put it off; do it now!

Don’t rest until you do.

5Save yourself like a gazelle escaping from a hunter,

like a bird fleeing from a net.

6Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones.

Learn from their ways and become wise!

7Though they have no prince

or governor or ruler to make them work,

8they labor hard all summer,

gathering food for the winter.

9But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep?

When will you wake up?

10A little extra sleep, a little more slumber,

a little folding of the hands to rest—

11then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit;

scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

12What are worthless and wicked people like?

They are constant liars,

13signaling their deceit with a wink of the eye,

a nudge of the foot, or the wiggle of fingers.

14Their perverted hearts plot evil,

and they constantly stir up trouble.

15But they will be destroyed suddenly,

broken in an instant beyond all hope of healing.

16There are six things the Lord hates—

no, seven things he detests:

17haughty eyes,

a lying tongue,

hands that kill the innocent,

18a heart that plots evil,

feet that race to do wrong,

19a false witness who pours out lies,

a person who sows discord in a family.

20My son, obey your father’s commands,

and don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.

21Keep their words always in your heart.

Tie them around your neck.

22When you walk, their counsel will lead you.

When you sleep, they will protect you.

When you wake up, they will advise you.

23For their command is a lamp

and their instruction a light;

their corrective discipline

is the way to life.

24It will keep you from the immoral woman,

from the smooth tongue of a promiscuous woman.

25Don’t lust for her beauty.

Don’t let her coy glances seduce you.

26For a prostitute will bring you to poverty,*6:26 Hebrew to a loaf of bread.

but sleeping with another man’s wife will cost you your life.

27Can a man scoop a flame into his lap

and not have his clothes catch on fire?

28Can he walk on hot coals

and not blister his feet?

29So it is with the man who sleeps with another man’s wife.

He who embraces her will not go unpunished.

30Excuses might be found for a thief

who steals because he is starving.

31But if he is caught, he must pay back seven times what he stole,

even if he has to sell everything in his house.

32But the man who commits adultery is an utter fool,

for he destroys himself.

33He will be wounded and disgraced.

His shame will never be erased.

34For the woman’s jealous husband will be furious,

and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.

35He will accept no compensation,

nor be satisfied with a payoff of any size.

Proverbs 7

Another Warning about Immoral Women

1Follow my advice, my son;

always treasure my commands.

2Obey my commands and live!

Guard my instructions as you guard your own eyes.*7:2 Hebrew as the pupil of your eye.

3Tie them on your fingers as a reminder.

Write them deep within your heart.

4Love wisdom like a sister;

make insight a beloved member of your family.

5Let them protect you from an affair with an immoral woman,

from listening to the flattery of a promiscuous woman.

6While I was at the window of my house,

looking through the curtain,

7I saw some naive young men,

and one in particular who lacked common sense.

8He was crossing the street near the house of an immoral woman,

strolling down the path by her house.

9It was at twilight, in the evening,

as deep darkness fell.

10The woman approached him,

seductively dressed and sly of heart.

11She was the brash, rebellious type,

never content to stay at home.

12She is often in the streets and markets,

soliciting at every corner.

13She threw her arms around him and kissed him,

and with a brazen look she said,

14“I’ve just made my peace offerings

and fulfilled my vows.

15You’re the one I was looking for!

I came out to find you, and here you are!

16My bed is spread with beautiful blankets,

with colored sheets of Egyptian linen.

17I’ve perfumed my bed

with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

18Come, let’s drink our fill of love until morning.

Let’s enjoy each other’s caresses,

19for my husband is not home.

He’s away on a long trip.

20He has taken a wallet full of money with him

and won’t return until later this month.*7:20 Hebrew until the moon is full.”

21So she seduced him with her pretty speech

and enticed him with her flattery.

22He followed her at once,

like an ox going to the slaughter.

He was like a stag caught in a trap,*7:22 As in Greek and Syriac versions; Hebrew reads slaughter, as shackles are for the discipline of a fool.

23awaiting the arrow that would pierce its heart.

He was like a bird flying into a snare,

little knowing it would cost him his life.

24So listen to me, my sons,

and pay attention to my words.

25Don’t let your hearts stray away toward her.

Don’t wander down her wayward path.

26For she has been the ruin of many;

many men have been her victims.

27Her house is the road to the grave.*7:27 Hebrew to Sheol.

Her bedroom is the den of death.