Proverbs 7

7 ¹ My son, keep my words, and store up my commandments within you.

² Keep my commandments and live; guard my teaching as the apple of your eye. ³ Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.

⁴ Say to wisdom, "You are my sister," and call understanding your dearest friend, ⁵ to keep you from the forbidden woman, from the stranger with her smooth words.

⁶ For at the window of my house I looked down through my lattice, ⁷ and I saw among the naive, I noticed among the young men, a youth who lacked sense, ⁸ passing through the street near her corner, taking the road to her house ⁹ in the twilight, as the day faded, in the dark of night and gloom.

¹⁰ And there a woman comes to meet him, dressed like a prostitute, with cunning in her heart. ¹¹ She is loud and defiant; her feet will not stay at home. ¹² Now in the street, now in the squares, she lurks at every corner. ¹³ She grabs him and kisses him, and with a brazen face she says to him:

¹⁴ "I had peace offerings to bring; today I have paid my vows. ^a a v14 A peace offering was shared as a feast — she means she has food ready and a reason to celebrate at home. ¹⁵ So I came out to meet you, to look for you eagerly, and I have found you. ¹⁶ I have spread my bed with coverings, with colored linens from Egypt. ¹⁷ I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. ¹⁸ Come, let us drink deep of love until morning; let us lose ourselves in love. ¹⁹ For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey. ²⁰ He took a bag of money with him and will not come home until the full moon."

²¹ With all her persuasive words she sways him; with her smooth lips she draws him in. ²² All at once he follows her, like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a snare, ²³ until an arrow pierces its liver; like a bird darting into a trap, he does not know it will cost him his life.

²⁴ Now then, my sons, listen to me, and pay attention to what I say. ²⁵ Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways; do not wander into her paths. ²⁶ For she has brought down many victims; her slain are a mighty multitude. ²⁷ Her house is the road to the grave, going down to the chambers of death.