Proverbs 5

בְּ֭נִי לְחָכְמָתִ֣י הַקְשִׁ֑יבָה לִ֝תְבוּנָתִ֗י הַט־אָזְנֶֽךָ׃

My son, pay attention to my wisdom; incline your ear to my insight,

My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:

לִשְׁמֹ֥ר מְזִמּ֑וֹת וְ֝דַ֗עַת שְׂפָתֶ֥יךָ יִנְצֹֽרוּ׃

that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge.

That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.

כִּ֤י נֹ֣פֶת תִּ֭טֹּפְנָה שִׂפְתֵ֣י זָרָ֑ה וְחָלָ֖ק מִשֶּׁ֣מֶן חִכָּֽהּ׃

Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil,

For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:

וְֽ֭אַחֲרִיתָהּ מָרָ֣ה כַֽלַּעֲנָ֑ה חַ֝דָּ֗ה כְּחֶ֣רֶב פִּיּֽוֹת׃

in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a double-edged sword.

But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.

רַ֭גְלֶיהָ יֹרְד֣וֹת מָ֑וֶת שְׁ֝א֗וֹל צְעָדֶ֥יהָ יִתְמֹֽכוּ׃

Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to Sheol.

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

אֹ֣רַח חַ֭יִּים פֶּן־תְּפַלֵּ֑ס נָע֥וּ מַ֝עְגְּלֹתֶ֗יהָ לֹ֣א תֵדָֽע׃

She does not consider the path of life; she does not know that her ways are unstable.

Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.

וְעַתָּ֣ה בָ֭נִים שִׁמְעוּ־לִ֑י וְאַל־תָּ֝ס֗וּרוּ מֵאִמְרֵי־פִֽי׃

So now, my sons, listen to me, and do not turn aside from the words of my mouth.

Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.

הַרְחֵ֣ק מֵעָלֶ֣יהָ דַרְכֶּ֑ךָ וְאַל־תִּ֝קְרַ֗ב אֶל־פֶּ֥תַח בֵּיתָֽהּ׃

Keep your path far from her; do not go near the door of her house,

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

פֶּן־תִּתֵּ֣ן לַאֲחֵרִ֣ים הוֹדֶ֑ךָ וּ֝שְׁנֹתֶ֗יךָ לְאַכְזָרִֽי׃

lest you concede your vigor to others, and your years to one who is cruel;

Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:

פֶּֽן־יִשְׂבְּע֣וּ זָרִ֣ים כֹּחֶ֑ךָ וַ֝עֲצָבֶ֗יךָ בְּבֵ֣ית נָכְרִֽי׃

lest strangers feast on your wealth, and your labors enrich the house of a foreigner.

Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;

וְנָהַמְתָּ֥ בְאַחֲרִיתֶ֑ךָ בִּכְל֥וֹת בְּ֝שָׂרְךָ֗ וּשְׁאֵרֶֽךָ׃

At the end of your life you will groan when your flesh and your body are spent,

And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,

וְֽאָמַרְתָּ֗ אֵ֭יךְ שָׂנֵ֣אתִי מוּסָ֑ר וְ֝תוֹכַ֗חַת נָאַ֥ץ לִבִּֽי׃

and you will say, “How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof!

And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;

וְֽלֹא־שָׁ֭מַעְתִּי בְּק֣וֹל מוֹרָ֑י וְ֝לִֽמְלַמְּדַ֗י לֹא־הִטִּ֥יתִי אָזְנִֽי׃

I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my mentors.

And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!

כִּ֭מְעַט הָיִ֣יתִי בְכָל־רָ֑ע בְּת֖וֹךְ קָהָ֣ל וְעֵדָֽה׃

I am on the brink of utter ruin in the midst of the whole assembly.”

I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.

שְׁתֵה־מַ֥יִם מִבּוֹרֶ֑ךָ וְ֝נֹזְלִ֗ים מִתּ֥וֹךְ בְּאֵרֶֽךָ׃

Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well.

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

יָפ֣וּצוּ מַעְיְנֹתֶ֣יךָ ח֑וּצָה בָּ֝רְחֹב֗וֹת פַּלְגֵי־מָֽיִם׃

Why should your springs flow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares?

Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets.

יִֽהְיוּ־לְךָ֥ לְבַדֶּ֑ךָ וְאֵ֖ין לְזָרִ֣ים אִתָּֽךְ׃

Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers.

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

יְהִֽי־מְקוֹרְךָ֥ בָר֑וּךְ וּ֝שְׂמַ֗ח מֵאֵ֥שֶׁת נְעוּרֶֽךָ׃

May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth:

Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.

אַיֶּ֥לֶת אֲהָבִ֗ים וְֽיַעֲלַ֫ת־חֵ֥ן דַּ֭דֶּיהָ יְרַוֻּ֣ךָ בְכָל־עֵ֑ת בְּ֝אַהֲבָתָ֗הּ תִּשְׁגֶּ֥ה תָמִֽיד׃

A loving doe, a graceful fawn—may her breasts satisfy you always; may you be captivated by her love forever.

Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.

וְלָ֤מָּה תִשְׁגֶּ֣ה בְנִ֣י בְזָרָ֑ה וּ֝תְחַבֵּ֗ק חֵ֣ק נָכְרִיָּֽה׃

Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress, or embrace the bosom of a stranger?

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

כִּ֤י נֹ֨כַח ׀ עֵינֵ֣י יְ֭הוָה דַּרְכֵי־אִ֑ישׁ וְֽכָל־מַעְגְּלֹתָ֥יו מְפַלֵּֽס׃

For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and the LORD examines all his paths.

For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings.

עַֽווֹנוֹתָ֗יו יִלְכְּדֻנ֥וֹ אֶת־הָרָשָׁ֑ע וּבְחַבְלֵ֥י חַ֝טָּאת֗וֹ יִתָּמֵֽךְ׃

The iniquities of a wicked man entrap him; the cords of his sin entangle him.

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

ה֗וּא יָ֭מוּת בְּאֵ֣ין מוּסָ֑ר וּבְרֹ֖ב אִוַּלְתּ֣וֹ יִשְׁגֶּֽה׃

He dies for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly.

He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.