Proverbs 5:4-20

⁴but the last things of her be (as) bitter as wormwood, and her tongue is (as) sharp as a sword carving, (or cutting), on each side.

⁵Her feet go down into death; and her steps pierce to hells. (Her feet go downward unto death; and her steps shall lead thee unto Sheol, or the land of the dead, or and her steps shall lead thee to hell.)

⁶Those go not by the path of life; her steps be uncertain, and may not be sought out. (They do not go on the path of life; her steps be uncertain, and should not be followed.)

⁷Now therefore, my son, hear thou me, (or And so now, my son, listen to me), and go thou not away from the words of my mouth.

⁸Make far thy way from her (or Make thy way far away from her), and nigh thou not to the doors of her house.

⁹Give thou not thine honour to aliens (or Give thou not thy honour to strangers), and thy years to the cruel;

¹⁰lest peradventure strangers be filled with thy strengths, and lest (the rewards of) thy travails be in an alien’s house; (lest perhaps strangers take all thy wealth, and the rewards of all thy efforts be in someone else’s house;)

¹¹and thou bewail in the last days, when thou hast wasted thy flesh, and thy body;

¹²and say, Why loathed I teaching, and mine heart assented not to blamings; (and thou say, Why did I loathe discipline, and why did I not listen to rebukes;)

¹³neither I heard the voice of men teaching me, and I bowed not down mine ear to masters?

¹⁴Almost I was in all-evil, in the midst of the church, and of the synagogue. (I was almost uniformly despised, in the midst of the congregation, and among those in the assembly.)

¹⁵Drink thou water of thy cistern, and the floods of thy well. (Drink thou water from thy own cistern, and the out-flowings from thy own well.)

¹⁶Thy wells be streamed forth; and part thy waters in streets. (Let thy well floweth forth; and let thy water be parted in the streets.)

¹⁷Have thou alone them; and aliens be not thy partners. (Have thou them alone; and let not strangers be thy partners.)

¹⁸Thy vein be blessed (or Let thy fountain be blessed); and be thou glad with the woman of thy young waxing age.

¹⁹An hind most dearworthy; and an hart calf most acceptable. Her teats fill thee in all time; and delight thou continually in the love of her. (She is like a most dearworthy deer; and a most acceptable hart calf. Let her breasts fulfill, or satisfy, thee at all times; and delight thou continually in her love.)

²⁰My son, why art thou deceived of an alien woman; and art fostered in the bosom of another? (My son, why art thou deceived by a strange, or an unknown, woman; and why art thou comforted in the bosom of another?)