Proverbs 5:1–14

Avoid Seduction

5My son, pay attention to my wisdom;

listen closely ^vto my understanding ^w

²so that you may maintain discretion

and your lips safeguard knowledge. ^x

³Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey

and her words are ^ysmoother than oil,

⁴in the end she’s as bitter as wormwood ^z

and as sharp as a double-edged sword. ^a

⁵Her feet go down to death;

her steps head straight for Sheol. ^b

⁶She doesn’t consider the path of life;

she doesn’t know that her ways are unstable.

⁷So now, my sons, listen to me,

and don’t turn away from the words of my mouth. ^c

⁸Keep your way far from her.

Don’t go near the door of her house. ^d

⁹Otherwise, you will give up your vitality to others

and your years to someone cruel;

¹⁰strangers will drain your resources,

and your earnings will end up in a foreigner’s house.

¹¹At the end of your life, you will lament

when your physical body has been consumed,

¹²and you will say, “How I hated discipline,

and how my heart despised correction. ^e

¹³I didn’t obey my teachers

or listen closely ^fto my mentors.

¹⁴I am on the verge of complete ruin

before the entire community.”