Proverbs 5

Darby Translation

5 My son, attend unto my wisdom, incline thine ear to my understanding;

²that thou mayest keep reflection, and that thy lips may preserve knowledge.

³For the lips of the strange woman drop honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil;

⁴but her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.

⁵Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on Sheol.

⁶Lest she should ponder the path of life, her ways wander, she knoweth not [whither].

⁷And now, children, hearken unto me, and depart not from the words of my mouth.

⁸Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:

⁹lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel;

¹⁰lest strangers be filled with thy wealth, and the fruits of thy toil [come] into the house of a stranger;

¹¹and thou mourn in thine end, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed;

¹²and thou say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof!

¹³and I have not hearkened unto the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to those that instructed me;

¹⁴I was well nigh in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.

¹⁵Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.

¹⁶Thy fountains shall be poured forth, as water-brooks in the broadways.

¹⁷Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee.

¹⁸Let thy fountain be blessed; and have joy of the wife of thy youth.

¹⁹As a lovely hind and a graceful roe, let her breasts satisfy thee at all times: be thou ravished continually with her love.

²⁰And why shouldest thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?

²¹For the ways of man are before the eyes of Jehovah, and he pondereth all his paths.

²²His own iniquities shall take the wicked, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sin.

²³He shall die for want of discipline; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

Proverbs 5

New International Version

Warning Against Adultery

5 My son,^(A) pay attention to my wisdom,
    turn your ear to my words^(B) of insight,
²that you may maintain discretion
    and your lips may preserve knowledge.
³For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey,
    and her speech is smoother than oil;^(C)
⁴but in the end she is bitter as gall,^(D)
    sharp as a double-edged sword.
⁵Her feet go down to death;
    her steps lead straight to the grave.^(E)
⁶She gives no thought to the way of life;
    her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it.^(F)

⁷Now then, my sons, listen^(G) to me;
    do not turn aside from what I say.
⁸Keep to a path far from her,^(H)
    do not go near the door of her house,
⁹lest you lose your honor to others
    and your dignity^[a] to one who is cruel,
¹⁰lest strangers feast on your wealth
    and your toil enrich the house of another.^(I)
¹¹At the end of your life you will groan,
    when your flesh and body are spent.
¹²You will say, “How I hated discipline!
    How my heart spurned correction!^(J)
¹³I would not obey my teachers
    or turn my ear to my instructors.
¹⁴And I was soon in serious trouble^(K)
    in the assembly of God’s people.”^(L)

¹⁵Drink water from your own cistern,
    running water from your own well.
¹⁶Should your springs overflow in the streets,
    your streams of water in the public squares?
¹⁷Let them be yours alone,
    never to be shared with strangers.
¹⁸May your fountain^(M) be blessed,
    and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.^(N)
¹⁹A loving doe, a graceful deer^(O)—
    may her breasts satisfy you always,
    may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
²⁰Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife?
    Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?

²¹For your ways are in full view^(P) of the Lord,
    and he examines^(Q) all your paths.^(R)
²²The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them;^(S)
    the cords of their sins hold them fast.^(T)
²³For lack of discipline they will die,^(U)
    led astray by their own great folly.^(V)