New American Standard Bible

Darby Bible Translation

Pitfalls of Immorality

My son, give attention to my wisdom,
Incline your ear to my understanding;

1

Avoid Immorality

My son, attend unto my wisdom, incline thine ear to my understanding;

2

That you may observe discretion
And your lips may reserve knowledge.

2

that thou mayest keep reflection, and that thy lips may preserve knowledge.

3

For the lips of an adulteress drip honey
And smoother than oil is her speech;

3

For the lips of the strange woman drop honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil;

4

But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
Sharp as a two-edged sword.

4

but her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.

5

Her feet go down to death,
Her steps take hold of Sheol.

5

Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on Sheol.

6

She does not ponder the path of life;
Her ways are unstable, she does not know it.

6

Lest she should ponder the path of life, her ways wander, she knoweth not [whither].

7

Now then, my sons, listen to me
And do not depart from the words of my mouth.

7

And now, children, hearken unto me, and depart not from the words of my mouth.

8

Keep your way far from her
And do not go near the door of her house,

8

Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:

9

Or you will give your vigor to others
And your years to the cruel one;

9

lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel;

10

And strangers will be filled with your strength
And your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien;

10

lest strangers be filled with thy wealth, and the fruits of thy toil [come] into the house of a stranger;

11

And you groan at your final end,
When your flesh and your body are consumed;

11

and thou mourn in thine end, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed;

12

And you say, “How I have hated instruction!
And my heart spurned reproof!

12

and thou say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof!

13

“I have not listened to the voice of my teachers,
Nor inclined my ear to my instructors!

13

and I have not hearkened unto the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to those that instructed me;

14

“I was almost in utter ruin
In the midst of the assembly and congregation.”

14

I was well nigh in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.

15

Drink water from your own cistern
And fresh water from your own well.

15

Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.

16

Should your springs be dispersed abroad,
Streams of water in the streets?

16

Thy fountains shall be poured forth, as water-brooks in the broadways.

17

Let them be yours alone
And not for strangers with you.

17

Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee.

18

Let your fountain be blessed,
And rejoice in the wife of your youth.

18

Let thy fountain be blessed; and have joy of the wife of thy youth.

19

As a loving hind and a graceful doe,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
Be exhilarated always with her love.

19

As a lovely hind and a graceful roe, let her breasts satisfy thee at all times: be thou ravished continually with her love.

20

For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an adulteress
And embrace the bosom of a foreigner?

20

And why shouldest thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?

21

For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the LORD,
And He watches all his paths.

21

For the ways of man are before the eyes of Jehovah, and he pondereth all his paths.

22

His own iniquities will capture the wicked,
And he will be held with the cords of his sin.

22

His own iniquities shall take the wicked, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sin.

23

He will die for lack of instruction,
And in the greatness of his folly he will go astray.

23

He shall die for want of discipline; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

Parallel

New American Standard Bible

Darby Bible Translation

Proverbs 5

Proverbs 5