1My son, observe my sayings, and my commandments must thou treasure up with thee.
2Observe my commandments, and live: and my teaching as the apple of thy eyes.
3Bind them around thy fingers, write them upon the table of thy heart.
4Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:
5That they may keep thee from an adulterous woman, from an alien that useth flattering speeches.
6For through the window of my house, through my lattice did I [once] look out,
7And I beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a lad void of sense;
8He was passing through the market-place near her corner; and he stepped along on the way to her house,
9In the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the depth of the night and when it was dark:
10And, behold, a woman came to meet him with the attire of a harlot, and obdurate of heart.
11(She is noisy and ungovernable; in her house her feet never rest;
12At one time she is in the street, at another in the open places, and near every corner doth she lurk,)
13And she caught hold of him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face she said to him,
14“I had bound myself to bring peace-offerings; this day have I paid my vows:
15Therefore am I come forth to meet thee, to seek thy presence diligently, and I have found thee.
16With tapestry coverings have I decked my bed, with embroidered coverlids of the fine linen of Egypt.
17I have sprinkled my couch with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18Come, let us indulge in love until the morning: let us delight ourselves with dalliances.
19For the man is not in his house, he is gone on a journey a great way off:
20The bag of money hath he taken with him, by the day of the new-moon festival only will he come home.”
21She seduced him by the abundance of her reasoning: by the flattery of her lips she misguided him.
22He followed after her suddenly, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, and as in fetters to his correction, the fool:
23Till an arrow cleaveth through his liver; as a bird hasteneth into the snare, and knoweth not that it is done to take his life.
24And now, O children, hearken unto me, and listen to the sayings of my mouth.
25Let not thy heart turn aside to her ways, do not go astray on her paths.
26For many deadly wounded hath she caused to fall: yea, very numerous are all those slain by her.
27The ways to the nether world is her house leading down to the chambers of death.