15 Heb “sons.”
16 Heb “lad” or “youth.”
17 Heb “heart.” This young man who lacked wisdom is one of the simpletons, lacking keen judgment, one void of common sense (cf. , , , ) or understanding (cf. , ). He is young, inexperienced, featherbrained (so D. Kidner, Proverbs [], ).
18 The verb צָעַד (tsa’ad) means “to step; to march.” It suggests that the youth was intentionally making his way to her house. The verb is the imperfect tense; it stresses continual action parallel to the active participle that began the verse, but within a context that is past time.
19 Heb “way of her house.” This expression uses an adverbial accusative of location, telling where he was marching along. The term “house” is the genitive of location, giving the goal.
20 Heb “in the evening of the day.”
21 Heb “in the middle of the night, and dark”; “in the black and dark night”; “at the time of night and darkness.”
22 The particle וְהִנֵּה (véhinneh) introduces a dramatic sense of the immediate to the narrative; it has a deictic force, “and look!—there was a woman,” or “all of a sudden this woman.…”
23 Heb “with the garment of a prostitute.” The noun שִׁית (shith, “garment”) is an adverbial accusative specifying the appearance of the woman. The words “she was” are supplied in the translation to make a complete English sentence.
24 Heb “kept secret of heart”; cf. , “wily of heart.” The verbal form is the passive participle from נָצַר (natsar) in construct. C. H. Toy lists the suggestions of the commentators: false, malicious, secret, subtle, excited, hypocritical (Proverbs [], ). The has “causes the hearts of the young men to fly away.” The verb means “to guard; to watch; to keep”; to be guarded of heart means to be wily, to have secret intent—she has locked up her plans and gives nothing away (e.g., Isaiah 48:6 as well). Interestingly enough, this contrasts with her attire which gives everything away.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

and I have seen among the simple,

I have perceived among the youths,

a young man lacking sense,

passing along the street near her corner,

taking the road to her house

in the twilight, in the evening,

at the time of night and darkness.

And behold, the woman meets him,

dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

I saw among the simple,

I noticed among the young men,

a youth who had no sense.

He was going down the street near her corner,

walking along in the direction of her house

at twilight, as the day was fading,

as the dark of night set in.

Then out came a woman to meet him,

dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

I saw among the inexperienced,

I noticed among the youths,

a young man lacking sense.

Crossing the street near her corner,

he strolled down the road to her house

at twilight, in the evening,

in the dark of the night.

A woman came to meet him

dressed like a prostitute,

having a hidden agenda.

NLTNew Living Translation

I saw some naive young men,

and one in particular who lacked common sense.

He was crossing the street near the house of an immoral woman,

strolling down the path by her house.

It was at twilight, in the evening,

as deep darkness fell.

The woman approached him,

seductively dressed and sly of heart.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And I saw among the simple,

I observed among the youth,

a young man lacking sense,

passing on the street at her corner,

and he takes the road to her house,

at twilight, at the day’s evening,

in the midst of night and the darkness.

Then behold! A woman comes to meet him

with the garment of a prostitute and a secret heart.

KJV 1900King James Version

And beheld among the simple ones,

I discerned among the youths,

A young man void of understanding,

Passing through the street near her corner;

And he went the way to her house,

In the twilight, in the evening,

In the black and dark night:

And, behold, there met him a woman

With the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.

Public Domain