Logos Bible Study

Proverbs 5:15–23

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15Drink zwaters out of thine own cistern,

And running waters out of thine own well.

16Let thy afountains be dispersed abroad,

And rivers of waters bin the streets.

17Let them be only thine own,

And not strangers’ with thee.

18Let thy zfountain be blessed:

And crejoice with dthe wife of thy youth.

19Let her be as the loving ehind and pleasant froe;

Let her gbreasts †hsatisfy thee at all times;

And †be thou ravished always with her love.

20And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a istrange woman,

And embrace the bosom of a istranger?

21For jthe ways of man are before kthe eyes of the Lord,

And he lpondereth all his mgoings.

22nHis own iniquities shall otake the wicked himself,

And he shall be holden with the cords of his †sins.

23pHe shall die without instruction;

And in the greatness of his folly he shall qgo astray.

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Footnotes

  1. zSo ver. 18. Comp. ch. 9:17. Cant. 4:12. Ecclus. 26:19–21.
  2. aHos. 13:15. Comp. Ps. 68:26. Isai. 48:1.
  3. bZech. 8:5. Comp. Jer. 9:21.
  4. zSo ver. 18. Comp. ch. 9:17. Cant. 4:12. Ecclus. 26:19–21.
  5. cSo Deut. 24:5.
  6. dMal. 2:14. So Ps. 127:4 (Heb.).
  7. eCant. 2:7. & 3:5. & 8:14 (Heb.).
  8. fSee Ps. 104:18.
  9. gEzek. 23:3, 8, 21 (Heb.).
  10. †Heb. water thee. Isai. 16:9.
  11. hJe. 31:14 (Heb.).
  12. †Heb. err thou always in her love. Heb. as ver. 23. So ver. 20.
  13. iSee ch. 2:16.
  14. iSee ch. 2:16.
  15. jSo Ps. 119:168.
  16. kSee 2 Chr. 16:9. So Job 14:16. Hos. 7:2. Heb. 4:13.
  17. lver. 6.
  18. mSee Ps. 17:5.
  19. nSee Ps. 7:15.
  20. och. 6:2.
  21. †Heb. sin.
  22. pSee Job 4:21.
  23. qver. 19 marg.

Public Domain

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Drink water from your own cistern,

flowing water from your own well.

Should your springs be scattered abroad,

streams of water in the streets?

Let them be for yourself alone,

and not for strangers with you.

Let your fountain be blessed,

and rejoice in the wife of your youth,

a lovely deer, a graceful doe.

Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight;

be intoxicated always in her love.

Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman

and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?

For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord,

and he ponders all his paths.

The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him,

and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.

He dies for lack of discipline,

and because of his great folly he is led astray.

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Drink water from your own cistern,

running water from your own well.

Should your springs overflow in the streets,

your streams of water in the public squares?

Let them be yours alone,

never to be shared with strangers.

May your fountain be blessed,

and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.

A loving doe, a graceful deer—

may her breasts satisfy you always,

may you ever be intoxicated with her love.

Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife?

Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?

For your ways are in full view of the Lord,

and he examines all your paths.

The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them;

the cords of their sins hold them fast.

For lack of discipline they will die,

led astray by their own great folly.

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Drink water from your own cistern,

water flowing from your own well.

Should your springs flow in the streets,

streams in the public squares?

They should be for you alone

and not for you to share with strangers.

Let your fountain be blessed,

and take pleasure in the wife of your youth.

A loving deer, a graceful doe—

let her breasts always satisfy you;

be lost in her love forever.

Why, my son, would you lose yourself

with a forbidden woman

or embrace a wayward woman?

For a man’s ways are before the Lord’s eyes,

and he considers all his paths.

A wicked man’s iniquities will trap him;

he will become tangled in the ropes of his own sin.

He will die because there is no discipline,

and be lost because of his great stupidity.

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

Drink water from your own well—

share your love only with your wife.

Why spill the water of your springs in the streets,

having sex with just anyone?

You should reserve it for yourselves.

Never share it with strangers.

Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you.

Rejoice in the wife of your youth.

She is a loving deer, a graceful doe.

Let her breasts satisfy you always.

May you always be captivated by her love.

Why be captivated, my son, by an immoral woman,

or fondle the breasts of a promiscuous woman?

For the Lord sees clearly what a man does,

examining every path he takes.

An evil man is held captive by his own sins;

they are ropes that catch and hold him.

He will die for lack of self-control;

he will be lost because of his great foolishness.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Drink water from your own cistern

and flowing waters from inside your own well.

Shall your springs be scattered outward?

In the streets, shall there be streams of water?

May they be yours alone,

and not for strangers who are with you.

May your fountain be blessed,

and rejoice in the wife of your youth.

She is a deer of love and a doe of grace;

may her breasts satisfy you always;

by her love may you be intoxicated continually.

Why should you be intoxicated, my child, by a strange woman,

and embrace the bosom of a foreigner?

For before the eyes of Yahweh are human ways,

and all his paths he examines.

His iniquities shall ensnare him, the evildoer,

and in the vanity of his sin he shall be caught.

He shall die for lack of discipline,

and in the greatness of his folly he shall be lost.

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press