7 aMy son, keep my words,

And alay up my commandments with thee.

2  bKeep my commandments, and blive;

And my law as cthe apple of thine eye.

3  dBind them upon thy fingers,

dWrite them upon the table of thine heart.

4  Say unto wisdom, Thou art emy sister;

And call understanding thy fkinswoman:

5  gThat they may keep thee from the strange woman,

gFrom the stranger which flattereth with her words.

6  For hat the window of my house

hI looked through my casement,

7  And beheld among the isimple ones,

I discerned among †the youths,

A young man kvoid of understanding,

8  Passing through the lstreet near mher corner;

And he went the way to her house,

9  In the ntwilight, †in the evening,

In the oblack and dark night:

10  And, behold, oothere met him a woman

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

11  (She is qloud and rstubborn;

sHer feet abide not in her house:

12  Now is she without, now in the streets,

And sslieth in wait at mevery corner.)

13  So she caught him, and kissed him,

And †with an impudent face said unto him,

14  †I have tpeace offerings with me;

This day have I upayed my vows.

15  Therefore came I forth to meet thee,

xDiligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.

16  I have decked my bed with ycoverings of tapestry,

With carved works, with zfine linen of Egypt.

17  I have aperfumed my bed

With bmyrrh, baloes, and ccinnamon.

18  Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning:

Let us solace ourselves with loves.

19  For the dgoodman is not at home,

He is gone a long journey:

20  He hath taken a ebag of money †with him,

And will come home at ||the day appointed.

21  With her much ffair speech she caused him to yield,

With gthe flattering of her lips she forced him.

22  He goeth after her †straightway,

As an ox goeth to the slaughter,

Or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;

23  Till a dart strike through his liver;

hAs a bird hasteth to the snare,

And knoweth not that it is for his life.

24  ikHearken unto me now therefore, O ye children,

And kattend to the words of my mouth.

25  Let not thine heart ldecline to her ways,

Go not astray in her paths.

26  For she hath cast down many wounded:

Yea, mmany strong men have been slain by her.

27  nHer house is the way to hell,

Going down to othe chambers of death.