Proverbs 7-9
Easy-to-Read Version
Wisdom Will Keep You From Adultery
7 My son, remember my words. Don’t forget what I have told you. 2 Consider my teaching as precious as your own eyes. Obey my commands, and you will have a good life. 3 Tie them around your finger. Write them on your heart. 4 Treat wisdom like the woman you love and knowledge like the one dearest to you. 5 Wisdom will save you from that other woman, the other man’s wife, who tempts you with such sweet words.
6 One day I was looking out my window 7 at some foolish teenagers and noticed one who had no sense at all. 8 He was walking through the marketplace and came to the corner where a certain woman lived. He then turned up the road that goes by her house. 9 The day was ending. The sun had set, and it was almost dark. 10 Suddenly, there she was in front of him, dressed like a prostitute. She had plans for him. 11 She was a wild and rebellious woman who would not stay at home. 12 She walked the streets, always looking for someone to trap. 13 She grabbed the young man and kissed him. Without shame, she looked him in the eye and said, 14 “I offered a fellowship offering today. I gave what I promised to give, 15 and I still have plenty of food left. So I came out to find you, and here you are! 16 I have clean sheets on my bed—special ones from Egypt. 17 My bed smells wonderful with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. 18 Come, let’s enjoy ourselves all night. We can make love until dawn. 19 My husband has gone on a business trip. 20 He took enough money for a long trip and won’t be home for two weeks.[a]”
21 This is what the woman said to tempt the young man, and her smooth words tricked him. 22 He followed her, like a bull being led to the slaughter. He was like a deer walking into a trap, 23 where a hunter waits to shoot an arrow through its heart. The boy was like a bird flying into a net, never seeing the danger he was in.
24 Now, sons, listen to me. Pay attention to what I say. 25 Don’t let your heart lead you to an evil woman like that. Don’t go where she wants to lead you. 26 She has brought down some of the most powerful men; she has left many dead bodies in her path. 27 Her house is the place of death. The road to it leads straight to the grave.
Wisdom—the Good Woman
8 Listen, Wisdom is calling.
Yes, Understanding is shouting for us.
2 Wisdom stands at the top of the hill,
by the road where the paths meet.
3 She is near the entrance to the city,
calling from the open gates.
4 “I am calling out to all of you.
I am speaking to everyone.
5 You who are ignorant, learn to be wise.
You who are foolish, get some common sense.
6 Listen, I have something important to say,
and I am telling you what is right.
7 My words are true,
and I will not say anything that is wrong.
8 Everything I say is right;
there is nothing false or crooked about it.
9 These things are clear to any intelligent person.
They are right to anyone with knowledge.
10 Choose discipline over silver
and knowledge over the finest gold.
11 Wisdom is better than pearls,
and nothing you desire compares with her.
The Value of Wisdom
12 “I am Wisdom.
I live with Good Judgment.
I am at home with Knowledge and Planning.
13 To respect the Lord means to hate evil.
I hate pride and boasting,
evil lives and hurtful words.
14 I have good advice and common sense to offer.
I have understanding and power.
15 With my help kings rule,
and governors make good laws.
16 With my help leaders govern,
and important officials make good decisions.[b]
17 I love those who love me,
and those who look for me will find me.
18 With me there are riches and honor.
I have lasting wealth to give to you.
19 What I give is better than fine gold.
What I produce is better than pure silver.
20 I lead people the right way—
along the paths of justice.
21 I give riches to those who love me,
and I fill their houses with treasures.
22 “The Lord made me in the beginning,
long before he did anything else.
23 I was formed a long time ago,
before the world was made.
24 I was born before there was an ocean,
before the springs began to flow.
25 I was born before the mountains and hills
were set into place,
26 before the earth and fields were made,
before the dust of this world was formed.
27 I was there when he set up the skies,
when he drew a circle in the ocean to make a place for the land.
28 I was there when he put the clouds in the sky
and made the deep springs flow.
29 I was there when he set the limits on the sea
to make it stop where he said.
I was there when he laid the foundations of the earth.
30 I grew up as a child by his side,[c]
laughing and playing all the time.
31 I played in the world he made
and enjoyed the people he put there.
32 “Now, children, listen to me.
If you follow my ways,
you will be happy too.
33 Listen to my teaching and be wise;
don’t ignore what I say.
34 Whoever waits at my door
and listens for me will be blessed.
35 Those who find me find life,
and the Lord will reward them.
36 But those who do not find me put their lives in danger.
Whoever hates me loves death.”
Wisdom’s Invitation
9 Wisdom has built her house; she has made it strong with seven columns.[d] 2 She has cooked meat, mixed wine, and put food on the table. 3 She has sent her servant girls to announce from the highest hill in the city,[e] 4 “Whoever needs instruction, come.” She invites all the simple people and says, 5 “Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have prepared. 6 Leave your old, foolish ways and live! Advance along the path of understanding.”
7 Criticize a person who is rude and shows no respect, and you will only get insults. Correct the wicked, and you will only get hurt. 8 Don’t correct such people, or they will hate you. But correct those who are wise, and they will love you. 9 Teach the wise, and they will become wiser. Instruct those who live right, and they will gain more knowledge.
10 Wisdom begins with fear and respect for the Lord. Knowledge of the Holy One leads to understanding. 11 Wisdom will help you live longer; she will add years to your life. 12 If you become wise, it will be for your own good. If you are rude and show no respect, you are the one who will suffer.
Foolishness—the Other Woman
13 Foolishness is that other woman, who is loud, stupid, and knows nothing. 14 She sits on her chair at the door of her house, up on the highest hill of the city. 15 When people walk by, she calls out to them. They show no interest in her, but still she says, 16 “Whoever needs instruction, come.” She invites all the simple people and says, 17 “Stolen water is sweet. Stolen bread tastes good.” 18 Those simple people don’t realize that her house is full of ghosts and that her guests have entered the world of the dead.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 7:20 won’t be … weeks Literally, “will not come home until the full moon.” The fellowship offering (see verse 14) was usually at the time of the new moon, the first day of the Hebrew month, which was two weeks before the full moon.
- Proverbs 8:16 and important … decisions The Greek version and some Hebrew copies have “as well as important officials, all the judges on earth.”
- Proverbs 8:30 I grew … his side Or “I was beside him like a skilled worker.”
- Proverbs 9:1 seven columns In ancient Israel, a good house was one that had four main rooms with seven columns to support the roof.
- Proverbs 9:3 Or “She has sent out her servant girls and invited people to come to the highest hill in the city to eat with her.”
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International
