Proverbs 7:6–23

A STORY OF SEDUCTION

⁶At the window of my house

I looked through my lattice.^o

⁷I saw among the inexperienced,^A

I noticed among the youths,

a young man lacking sense.

⁸Crossing the street near her corner,

he strolled down the road to her house

⁹at twilight, in the evening,

in the dark of the night.^p

¹⁰A woman came to meet him

dressed like a prostitute,^q

having a hidden agenda.^B

¹¹She is loud and defiant;^r

her feet do not stay at home.^s

¹²Now in the street, now in the squares,^t

she lurks at every corner.^u

¹³She grabs him and kisses him;

she brazenly says^C to him,

¹⁴“I’ve made fellowship offerings;

today I’ve fulfilled my vows.^v

¹⁵So I came out to meet you,

to search for you, and I’ve found you.

¹⁶I’ve spread coverings on my bed^w—

richly colored linen from Egypt.^x

¹⁷I’ve perfumed my bed

with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.^y

¹⁸Come, let’s drink deeply of lovemaking until morning.^z

Let’s feast on each other’s love!

¹⁹My husband isn’t home;

he went on a long journey.

²⁰He took a bag of silver with him

and will come home at the time of the full moon.”

²¹She seduces him with her persistent pleading;

she lures with her flattering talk.

²²He follows her impulsively

like an ox going to the slaughter,

like a deer bounding toward a trap^D

²³until an arrow pierces its^E liver,^aa

like a bird darting into a snare^ab—

he doesn’t know it will cost him his life.