| NET Bible | New American Standard Bible 1995 |
| 1My child, be attentive to my wisdom, pay close attention to my understanding, | 1My son, give attention to my wisdom, Incline your ear to my understanding; |
| 2in order to safeguard discretion, and that your lips may guard knowledge. | 2That you may observe discretion And your lips may reserve knowledge. |
| 3For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey, and her seductive words are smoother than olive oil, | 3For the lips of an adulteress drip honey And smoother than oil is her speech; |
| 4but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. | 4But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. |
| 5Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave. | 5Her feet go down to death, Her steps take hold of Sheol. |
| 6Lest she should make level the path leading to life, her paths are unstable but she does not know it. | 6She does not ponder the path of life; Her ways are unstable, she does not know it. |
| 7So now, children, listen to me; do not turn aside from the words I speak. | 7Now then, my sons, listen to me And do not depart from the words of my mouth. |
| 8Keep yourself far from her, and do not go near the door of her house, | 8Keep your way far from her And do not go near the door of her house, |
| 9lest you give your vigor to others and your years to a cruel person, | 9Or you will give your vigor to others And your years to the cruel one; |
| 10lest strangers devour your strength, and your labor benefit another man's house. | 10And strangers will be filled with your strength And your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien; |
| 11And at the end of your life you will groan when your flesh and your body are wasted away. | 11And you groan at your final end, When your flesh and your body are consumed; |
| 12And you will say, "How I hated discipline! My heart spurned reproof! | 12And you say, "How I have hated instruction! And my heart spurned reproof! |
| 13For I did not obey my teachers and I did not heed my instructors. | 13"I have not listened to the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined my ear to my instructors! |
| 14I almost came to complete ruin in the midst of the whole congregation!" | 14"I was almost in utter ruin In the midst of the assembly and congregation." |
| 15Drink water from your own cistern and running water from your own well. | 15Drink water from your own cistern And fresh water from your own well. |
| 16Should your springs be dispersed outside, your streams of water in the wide plazas? | 16Should your springs be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets? |
| 17Let them be for yourself alone, and not for strangers with you. | 17Let them be yours alone And not for strangers with you. |
| 18May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in your young wife-- | 18Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice in the wife of your youth. |
| 19a loving doe, a graceful deer; may her breasts satisfy you at all times, may you be captivated by her love always. | 19As a loving hind and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; Be exhilarated always with her love. |
| 20But why should you be captivated, my son, by an adulteress, and embrace the bosom of a different woman? | 20For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an adulteress And embrace the bosom of a foreigner? |
| 21For the ways of a person are in front of the LORD's eyes, and the LORD weighs all that person's paths. | 21For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He watches all his paths. |
| 22The wicked will be captured by his own iniquities, and he will be held by the cords of his own sin. | 22His own iniquities will capture the wicked, And he will be held with the cords of his sin. |
| 23He will die because there was no discipline; because of the greatness of his folly he will reel. | 23He will die for lack of instruction, And in the greatness of his folly he will go astray. |
| NET Bible copyright © 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. //netbible.com. Used by permission. All rights reserved. | New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org |
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