Proverbs 5
Warning Against Adultery
My son, now attend to my wisdom you hear;
to my understanding, incline, then, your ear,
that you'll show discretion and judgement is learned,
applying the knowledge that can be discerned.
Like honey, a loose woman's tongue sweetly drips,
and oily-smooth are the words from her lips.
But in the end, bitter as poison is she,
as dangerous as a dual-edged sword can be.
Her feet will lead you to the grave in the end;
her steps to the depths of Sheol, she'll descend.
She has no concern where the path of life goes;
she aimlessly wanders where she never knows.
Now, listen to me, o my sons, listen well,
do not turn aside from these things that I tell.
Stay far, far away from the harlot and whore,
and neither come near to her house nor her door,
lest you give to others your vitality,
the best of your years to their brutality;
lest strangers who feast on your wealth, and what's worse —
your labors enriching a foreigner's purse.
You'll lie, at the end, on your deathbed and groan,
when your flesh and body are mere skin and bone;
you'll say, How I hated advice and rebuke!
And, how I despised any form of reproof!
I did not obey any teachers who taught,
nor heeded instructions from them, as I aught!
Now, I'm at the end and my ruin's complete;
and I'm a disgrace to all people I meet.
Drink water from out of the cistern you own;
fresh water from your well and your well alone.
For why should your springs overflow everywhere;
your rivers of water in streets and the square?
Let them be reserved for yourself — all you own,
not shared with another or stranger unknown.
Rejoice! Let your spring be a blessing for you;
rejoice in the wife that your younger self knew.
A graceful doe — may her breasts still bring delight,
igniting the passion you felt that first night.
My son, why would you choose a harlot to chase,
preferring the bosom of her to embrace?
The LORD surely sees every choice that man makes,
and watches and ponders the paths that he takes.
The wicked are trapped and ensnared by their sin,
held fast by the cords that he's tangled up in.
He'll die for the lack of a disciplined way,
because of his folly, is he led astray.
My son, now attend to my wisdom you hear;
to my understanding, incline, then, your ear,
that you'll show discretion and judgement is learned,
applying the knowledge that can be discerned.
Like honey, a loose woman's tongue sweetly drips,
and oily-smooth are the words from her lips.
But in the end, bitter as poison is she,
as dangerous as a dual-edged sword can be.
Her feet will lead you to the grave in the end;
her steps to the depths of Sheol, she'll descend.
She has no concern where the path of life goes;
she aimlessly wanders where she never knows.
Now, listen to me, o my sons, listen well,
do not turn aside from these things that I tell.
Stay far, far away from the harlot and whore,
and neither come near to her house nor her door,
lest you give to others your vitality,
the best of your years to their brutality;
lest strangers who feast on your wealth, and what's worse —
your labors enriching a foreigner's purse.
You'll lie, at the end, on your deathbed and groan,
when your flesh and body are mere skin and bone;
you'll say, How I hated advice and rebuke!
And, how I despised any form of reproof!
I did not obey any teachers who taught,
nor heeded instructions from them, as I aught!
Now, I'm at the end and my ruin's complete;
and I'm a disgrace to all people I meet.
Drink water from out of the cistern you own;
fresh water from your well and your well alone.
For why should your springs overflow everywhere;
your rivers of water in streets and the square?
Let them be reserved for yourself — all you own,
not shared with another or stranger unknown.
Rejoice! Let your spring be a blessing for you;
rejoice in the wife that your younger self knew.
A graceful doe — may her breasts still bring delight,
igniting the passion you felt that first night.
My son, why would you choose a harlot to chase,
preferring the bosom of her to embrace?
The LORD surely sees every choice that man makes,
and watches and ponders the paths that he takes.
The wicked are trapped and ensnared by their sin,
held fast by the cords that he's tangled up in.
He'll die for the lack of a disciplined way,
because of his folly, is he led astray.
|
|
|
|