Proverbs 7:7-27
7 and I have seen among a the simple,I have perceived among the youths,
a young man b lacking sense,
8 passing along the street c near her corner,
taking the road to her house
9 in d the twilight, in the evening,
at e the time of night and darkness.
10 And behold, the woman meets him,
f dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart. ▼
▼
Hebrew guarded in heart
11 She is h loud and i wayward;
j her feet do not stay at home;
12 now in the street, now in the market,
and k at every corner she l lies in wait.
13 She seizes him and kisses him,
and with m bold face she says to him,
14 “I had to n offer sacrifices ▼
▼
Hebrew peace offerings
and today I have p paid my vows;
15 so now I have come out to meet you,
to seek you eagerly, and I have found you.
16 I have spread my couch with q coverings,
colored linens from r Egyptian linen;
17 I have perfumed my bed with s myrrh,
aloes, and t cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love till morning;
let us delight ourselves with love.
19 For u my husband is not at home;
he has gone on a long journey;
20 he took a bag of money with him;
at full moon he will come home.”
21 With much seductive speech she persuades him;
with v her smooth talk she compels him.
22 All at once he follows her,
as an ox goes to the slaughter,
or as a stag is caught fast ▼
▼
Probable reading (compare Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac); Hebrew as an anklet for the discipline of a fool
23 till an arrow pierces its liver;
as x a bird rushes into a snare;
he does not know that it will cost him his life.
24 And y now, O sons, listen to me,
and be attentive to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not your heart turn aside to her ways;
do not stray into her paths,
26 for many a victim has she laid low,
and all her slain are z a mighty throng.
27 Her house is aa the way to Sheol,
going down to the chambers of death.
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