Proverbs 5:1–19
5 My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
listen closely v to my understanding w
2 so that you may maintain discretion
and your lips safeguard knowledge. x
3 Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey
and her words are y smoother than oil,
4 in the end she’s as bitter as * wormwood z
and as sharp as a double-edged sword. a
her steps head straight for * Sheol. b
6 She doesn’t consider the path of life;
she doesn’t know that her ways are unstable.
7 So now, my sons, listen to me,
and don’t turn away from the words of my mouth. c
Don’t go near the door of her house. d
9 Otherwise, you will give up your vitality to others
and your years to someone cruel;
10 strangers will drain your resources,
and your earnings will end up in a foreigner’s house.
11 At the end of your life, you will lament
when your physical body has been consumed,
12 and you will say, “How I hated discipline,
and how my heart despised correction. e
or listen closely f to my mentors.
14 I am on the verge of complete ruin
before the entire community.”
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
water flowing from your own well. g
16 Should your springs flow in the streets,
streams of water in the public squares? h
17 They should be for you alone
and not for you to share with strangers.
18 Let your fountain be blessed,
and take pleasure in the wife of your youth. i
19 A loving doe, a graceful fawn—
let her breasts always satisfy you; j
be lost in her love forever.