| English Standard Version | King James Bible |
| 1My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you; | 1My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee. |
| 2keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye; | 2Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. |
| 3bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart. | 3Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart. |
| 4Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call insight your intimate friend, | 4Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman: |
| 5to keep you from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words. | 5That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words. |
| 6For at the window of my house I have looked out through my lattice, | 6For at the window of my house I looked through my casement, |
| 7and I have seen among the simple, I have perceived among the youths, a young man lacking sense, | 7And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding, |
| 8passing along the street near her corner, taking the road to her house | 8Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house, |
| 9in the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night and darkness. | 9In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night: |
| 10And behold, the woman meets him, dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart. | 10And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart. |
| 11She is loud and wayward; her feet do not stay at home; | 11(She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house: |
| 12now in the street, now in the market, and at every corner she lies in wait. | 12Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.) |
| 13She seizes him and kisses him, and with bold face she says to him, | 13So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, |
| 14“I had to offer sacrifices, and today I have paid my vows; | 14I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows. |
| 15so now I have come out to meet you, to seek you eagerly, and I have found you. | 15Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee. |
| 16I have spread my couch with coverings, colored linens from Egyptian linen; | 16I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. |
| 17I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. | 17I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. |
| 18Come, let us take our fill of love till morning; let us delight ourselves with love. | 18Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves. |
| 19For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey; | 19For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey: |
| 20he took a bag of money with him; at full moon he will come home.” | 20He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed. |
| 21With much seductive speech she persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him. | 21With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. |
| 22All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a stag is caught fast | 22He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; |
| 23till an arrow pierces its liver; as a bird rushes into a snare; he does not know that it will cost him his life. | 23Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life. |
| 24And now, O sons, listen to me, and be attentive to the words of my mouth. | 24Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. |
| 25Let not your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths, | 25Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. |
| 26for many a victim has she laid low, and all her slain are a mighty throng. | 26For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. |
| 27Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death. | 27Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. |
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