Proverbs 7
7
1My son, keep my words,
And lay up my commandments with thee.
2Keep my commandments, and live;
And my law as the apple of thine eye.
3Bind them upon thy fingers,
Write them upon the table of thine heart.
4Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister;
And call understanding thy kinswoman:
5That they may keep thee from the strange woman,
From the stranger which flattereth with her words.
6For at the window of my house
I looked through my casement,
7And beheld among the simple ones,
I discerned among the youths,
A young man void of understanding,
8Passing through the street near her corner;
And he went the way to her house,
9In the twilight, in the evening,
In the black and dark night:
10And, behold, there met him a woman
With the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.
11(She is loud and stubborn;
Her feet abide not in her house:
12Now is she without, now in the streets,
And lieth in wait at every corner.)
13So she caught him, and kissed him,
And with an impudent face said unto him,
14 I have peace offerings with me;
This day have I payed my vows.
15Therefore came I forth to meet thee,
Diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.
16I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry,
With carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.
17I have perfumed my bed
With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning:
Let us solace ourselves with loves.
19For the goodman is not at home,
He is gone a long journey:
20He hath taken a bag of money with him,
And will come home at the day appointed.
21With her much fair speech she caused him to yield,
With the flattering of her lips she forced him.
22He goeth after her straightway,
As an ox goeth to the slaughter,
Or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;
23Till a dart strike through his liver;
As a bird hasteth to the snare,
And knoweth not that it is for his life.
24Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children,
And attend to the words of my mouth.
25Let not thine heart decline to her ways,
Go not astray in her paths.
26For she hath cast down many wounded:
Yea, many strong men have been slain by her.
27Her house is the way to hell,
Going down to the chambers of death.
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Proverbs 7: KJV
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Rights in the Authorized (King James) Version in the United Kingdom are vested in the Crown. Published by permission of the Crown’s patentee, Cambridge University Press.
Learn More About King James VersionProverbs 7
7
Warning Against the Adulteress
1 # See ch. 2:1 My son, keep my words
and #See ch. 2:1treasure up my commandments with you;
2 # See ch. 4:4 keep my commandments and live;
keep my teaching as #Deut. 32:10the apple of your eye;
3 # See ch. 3:3 bind them on your fingers;
# See ch. 3:3 write them on the tablet of your heart.
4Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call insight your intimate friend,
5to keep you from #See ch. 2:16the forbidden#7:5 Hebrew strange woman,
from #See ch. 2:16the adulteress#7:5 Hebrew the foreign woman with her smooth words.
6For at #Judg. 5:28the window of my house
I have looked out through my lattice,
7and I have seen among #See ch. 1:4 the simple,
I have perceived among the youths,
a young man #See ch. 6:32lacking sense,
8passing along the street #ver. 12near her corner,
taking the road to her house
9in #Job 24:15 the twilight, in the evening,
at #ch. 20:20the time of night and darkness.
10And behold, the woman meets him,
# [Gen. 38:14] dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.#7:10 Hebrew guarded in heart
11She is #ch. 9:13 loud and #[Hos. 4:16] wayward;
#
1 Tim. 5:13; [Titus 2:5] her feet do not stay at home;
12now in the street, now in the market,
and #ver. 8 at every corner she #ch. 23:28lies in wait.
13She seizes him and kisses him,
and with #ch. 21:29bold face she says to him,
14“I had to #Lev. 7:11 offer sacrifices,#7:14 Hebrew peace offerings
and today I have #See Ps. 50:14paid my vows;
15so now I have come out to meet you,
to seek you eagerly, and I have found you.
16I have spread my couch with #ch. 31:22 coverings,
colored linens from #[Isa. 19:9]Egyptian linen;
17I have perfumed my bed with #Ps. 45:8 myrrh,
aloes, and #Ex. 30:23cinnamon.
18Come, let us take our fill of love till morning;
let us delight ourselves with love.
19For #Matt. 20:11my husband is not at home;
he has gone on a long journey;
20he took a bag of money with him;
at full moon he will come home.”
21With much seductive speech she persuades him;
with #ch. 5:3; 6:24; See Ps. 12:2her smooth talk she compels him.
22All at once he follows her,
as an ox goes to the slaughter,
or as a stag is caught fast#7:22 Probable reading (compare Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac); Hebrew as a chain to discipline a fool
23till an arrow pierces its liver;
as #Eccles. 9:12a bird rushes into a snare;
he does not know that it will cost him his life.
24And #See ch. 4:1now, O sons, listen to me,
and be attentive to the words of my mouth.
25Let not your heart turn aside to her ways;
do not stray into her paths,
26for many a victim has she laid low,
and all her slain are #[Neh. 13:26]; See Judg. 16:1-5a mighty throng.
27Her house is #[ch. 2:18; 5:5; 9:18]the way to Sheol,
going down to the chambers of death.
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