33 Heb “a woman of foolishness.” This could be translated as “foolish woman,” taking the genitive as attributive (cf. , , ). But in view of the contrast with the personification of wisdom, this word probably also represents a personification and so can be taken as a genitive of apposition, the woman who is folly, or “the woman, Folly” (cf. ). For clarity and stylistic reasons the word “called” has been supplied in the translation.
34 The meaning of the word comes close to “riotous.” W. McKane describes her as restless and rootless (Proverbs [], 366).
35 The noun means “foolishness” (cf. “simple”; “inane”). Here it could be classified as a metonymy of adjunct, or as a predictive apposition (when a substantive is used in place of a noun; see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 15, §67).
36 The ignorance here in Proverbs must be moral ignorance. But see D. W. Thomas for the idea that the verb means “become still,” “be at rest,” yielding here the idea of restless (“A Note on בַל־יָדְעָה in Proverbs 913,” 4 [1953]: 23–24).
37 The text of v. 13 has been difficult for translators. The has, “The foolish woman is boisterous, simplicity, and knows not what.” The reads, “A foolish and impudent woman comes to lack a morsel, she who knows not shame.” The has, “a woman lacking in discretion, seductive.” translates it, “a foolish woman and a gadabout, ignorant, and she knows not good.” The has, “a woman foolish and noisy, and full of wiles, and knowing nothing at all.”
38 The infinitive construct “calling out” functions epexegetically in the sentence, explaining how the previous action was accomplished.
39 The term “her” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for the sake of clarity and smoothness.
40 The noun is a genitive of location after the construct participle. Its parallel word is also an adverbial accusative of location.
41 The participle modifies the participle in the first colon. To describe the passers-by in this context as those “who go straight” means that they are quiet and unwary.
42 This expression is almost identical to v. 4, with the exception of the addition of conjunctions in the second colon: “and the lacking of understanding and she says to him.” The parallel is deliberate, of course, showing the competing appeals for those passing by.
43 The offer is not wine and meat (which represented wisdom), but water that is stolen. The “water” will seem sweeter than wine because it is stolen—the idea of getting away with something exciting appeals to the baser instincts. In Proverbs the water imagery was introduced earlier in 5:15–19 as sexual activity with the adulteress, which would seem at the moment more enjoyable than learning wisdom. Likewise bread will be drawn into this analogy in 30:20. So the “calling out” is similar to that of wisdom, but what is being offered is very different.
44 Heb “bread of secrecies.” It could mean “bread [eaten in] secret places,” a genitive of location; or it could mean “bread [gained through] secrets,” a genitive of source, the secrecies being metonymical for theft. The latter makes a better parallelism in this verse, for bread (= sexually immoral behavior) gained secretly would be like stolen water.
45 Heb “he does not know.”
46 The “dead” are the Rephaim, the “shades” or dead persons who lead a shadowy existence in Sheol (e.g., Prov 2:18–19; Job 3:13–19; Ps 88:5; Isa 14:9–11). This approximates an “as-if” motif of wisdom literature: The ones ensnared in folly are as good as in Hell. See also Ptah-hotep’s sayings ( 412–414).
47 The adds to the end of v. 18: “But turn away, linger not in the place, neither set your eye on her: for thus will you go through alien water; but abstain from alien water, drink not from an alien fountain, that you may live long, that years of life may be added to you.” The text has “in the depths of Sheol” (בְּעִמְקֵי שְׁאוֹל, bé’imqe shé’ol). The parallelism stresses that those who turn to this way of life are ignorant and doomed. It may signal a literal death lying ahead in the not too distant future, but it is more likely an analogy. The point is that the life of folly, a life of undisciplined, immoral, riotous living, runs counter to God’s appeal for wisdom and leads to ruin. That is the broad way that leads to destruction.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

The woman Folly is loud;

she is seductive and knows nothing.

She sits at the door of her house;

she takes a seat on the highest places of the town,

calling to those who pass by,

who are going straight on their way,

“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”

And to him who lacks sense she says,

“Stolen water is sweet,

and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”

But he does not know that the dead are there,

that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Folly is an unruly woman;

she is simple and knows nothing.

She sits at the door of her house,

on a seat at the highest point of the city,

calling out to those who pass by,

who go straight on their way,

“Let all who are simple come to my house!”

To those who have no sense she says,

“Stolen water is sweet;

food eaten in secret is delicious!”

But little do they know that the dead are there,

that her guests are deep in the realm of the dead.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Folly is a rowdy woman;

she is gullible and knows nothing.

She sits by the doorway of her house,

on a seat at the highest point of the city,

calling to those who pass by,

who go straight ahead on their paths:

“Whoever is inexperienced, enter here!”

To the one who lacks sense, she says,

“Stolen water is sweet,

and bread eaten secretly is tasty!”

But he doesn’t know that the departed spirits are there,

that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

NLTNew Living Translation

The woman named Folly is brash.

She is ignorant and doesn’t know it.

She sits in her doorway

on the heights overlooking the city.

She calls out to men going by

who are minding their own business.

“Come in with me,” she urges the simple.

To those who lack good judgment, she says,

“Stolen water is refreshing;

food eaten in secret tastes the best!”

But little do they know that the dead are there.

Her guests are in the depths of the grave.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

A woman of foolishness is loud,

simple, and does not know it.

She sits at the door of her house,

upon a throne at the high places of town,

in order to call to those who pass by the road,

those who go straight on their way:

“Whoever is simple, may he turn here!”

As for he who lacks sense, she says to him,

“Stolen waters are sweet,

and bread of secrecy is pleasant.”

But he does not know that the dead are there,

in the depths of Sheol are her guests.

KJV 1900King James Version

A foolish woman is clamorous:

She is simple, and knoweth nothing.

For she sitteth at the door of her house,

On a seat in the high places of the city,

To call passengers

Who go right on their ways:

Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither:

And as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,

Stolen waters are sweet,

And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.

But he knoweth not that the dead are there;

And that her guests are in the depths of hell.

Public Domain