Proverbs 7-9

New Life Version

The Talk of a Sinful Woman

7 My son, keep my words, and hold together my teachings within you. ² Keep my words and live. Keep my teachings as you would your own eye. ³ Tie them upon your fingers. Write them upon your heart. ⁴ Say to wisdom, “You are my sister.” Call understanding your special friend. ⁵ They will keep you from the strange woman, from the stranger with her smooth words.

⁶ For I looked out through the wood-work at the window of my house. ⁷ And I saw among the child-like and among the young people a young man without wisdom and understanding. ⁸ He passed through the street near her corner and took the path to her house, ⁹ in the light of the evening, after it was dark. ¹⁰ See, a woman comes to meet him. She is dressed like a woman who sells the use of her body, and with a heart that wants to fool and trap someone. ¹¹ She is loud and has a strong self-will. Her feet do not stay at home. ¹² She is now in the street, now in the center of town where people gather. She lies in wait at every corner. ¹³ So she catches him and kisses him. With a hard face she says to him, ¹⁴ “It was time for me to give gifts on the altar in worship, and today I have paid what I promised. ¹⁵ So I have come out to meet you, to look for you, and I have found you. ¹⁶ I have spread my bed with coverings of linen cloth from Egypt. ¹⁷ I have perfumed my bed with fine perfumes and spices. ¹⁸ Come, let us take our fill of love until morning. Let us make ourselves happy with love. ¹⁹ For my husband is not at home. He has gone on a long trip. ²⁰ He has taken a bag of money with him, and he will come home at full moon.”

²¹ She leads him away with her tempting talk. She tempts him with the smooth words of her lips. ²² All at once he follows her, like a bull going to be killed, like a wild animal goes into a trap, ²³ until an arrow cuts through him. Like a bird that hurries into the net, he does not know that he will lose his life.

²⁴ So, my sons, listen to me. Listen to the words of my mouth. ²⁵ Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways. Do not turn aside into her paths. ²⁶ For she has hurt many and destroyed many others. She has killed a great number. ²⁷ Her house is the way to hell, going down to the rooms of death.

Praising Wisdom

8 Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice? ² She takes her stand on the top of the hill beside the way, where the paths meet. ³ Beside the gates in front of the town, at the open doors, she cries out, ⁴ “I call to you, O men. My voice is to the sons of men. ⁵ O child-like ones, learn to use wisdom. O fools, make your mind understand. ⁶ Listen, for I will speak great things. What is right will come from my lips. ⁷ For my mouth will speak the truth. My lips hate wrong-doing. ⁸ All the words of my mouth are right and good. There is nothing in them that is against the truth. ⁹ They are all clear to him who understands, and right to those who find much learning. ¹⁰ Take my teaching instead of silver. Take much learning instead of fine gold. ¹¹ For wisdom is better than stones of great worth. All that you may desire cannot compare with her.

¹² “I, wisdom, live with understanding, and I find much learning and careful thinking. ¹³ The fear of the Lord is to hate what is sinful. I hate pride, self-love, the way of sin, and lies. ¹⁴ I have teaching and wisdom. I have understanding and power. ¹⁵ By me kings rule and rulers make laws that are fair. ¹⁶ By me rulers rule, and all the princes rule on the earth. ¹⁷ I love those who love me, and those who look for me with much desire will find me. ¹⁸ Riches and honor are mine, lasting riches and being right with God. ¹⁹ My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold. What I give is better than fine silver. ²⁰ I walk in the way that is right with God, in the center of the ways that are fair. ²¹ I give riches to those who love me, and fill their store-houses.

²² “The Lord made me at the beginning of His work, before His first works long ago. ²³ I was set apart long ago, from the beginning, before the earth was. ²⁴ I was born when there were no seas, when there were no pools full of water. ²⁵ I was born before the mountains and hills were in their places. ²⁶ It was before He had made the earth or the fields, or the first dust of the world. ²⁷ I was there when He made the heavens, and when He drew a mark around the top of the sea. ²⁸ I was there when He put the skies above, and when He put the wells of the waters in their place. ²⁹ I was there when He marked out the places for the sea, so that the waters would not go farther than what He said. I was there when He marked out the ground for the earth. ³⁰ I was beside Him as the leading workman. I was His joy every day. I was always happy when I was near Him. ³¹ I was happy in the world, His earth, and found joy in the sons of men.

³² “So now, O sons, listen to me, for happy are they who keep my ways. ³³ Hear my teaching and be wise. Do not turn away from it. ³⁴ Happy is the man who listens to me, watching every day at my gates, waiting beside my doors. ³⁵ For he who finds me finds life, and gets favor from the Lord. ³⁶ But he who misses me hurts himself. All those who hate me love death.”

Wisdom—or the Way to Hell

9 Wisdom has built her house. She has made seven pillars to hold it up. ² She has cooked her food, and has mixed her wine, and she has set her table. ³ She has sent out the young women who work for her. She calls from the highest places of the city, ⁴ “Whoever is easy to fool, let him turn in here!” She says to the one without understanding, ⁵ “Come and eat my food, and drink the wine I have mixed. ⁶ Turn from your foolish way, and live. Walk in the way of understanding.”

⁷ He who speaks strong words to the man who laughs at the truth brings shame upon himself. He who speaks strong words to a sinful man gets hurt. ⁸ Do not speak strong words to a man who laughs at the truth, or he will hate you. Speak strong words to a wise man, and he will love you. ⁹ Give teaching to a wise man and he will be even wiser. Teach a man who is right and good, and he will grow in learning. ¹⁰ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. To learn about the Holy One is understanding. ¹¹ For by me your days will grow in number, and years will be added to your life. ¹² If you are wise, your wisdom is a help to you. If you laugh at the truth, you alone will suffer for it.

¹³ A foolish woman makes much noise. She is open to sin, and knows nothing. ¹⁴ She sits at the door of her house or on a seat in the high places of the city. ¹⁵ She calls to those who pass by and are making their paths straight, ¹⁶ “Whoever is easy to fool, let him turn in here!” She says to the one without understanding, ¹⁷ “Stolen water is sweet. And bread eaten in secret is pleasing.” ¹⁸ But he does not know that the dead are there, and that the ones who visit her are in the bottom of hell.