[1] My son, pay attention to my wisdom. Listen carefully to my wise sayings. [2] Then you will continue to have good sense. Your lips will keep on speaking words of knowledge. [3] A woman who commits adultery has lips that drip honey. What she says is smoother than olive oil. [4] But in the end she is like bitter poison. She cuts like a sword that has two edges. [5] Her feet go down to death. Her steps lead straight to the grave. [6] She doesn’t give any thought to her way of life. Her paths have no direction, but she doesn’t realize it. [7] My sons, listen to me. Don’t turn away from what I say. [8] Stay on a path far away from that evil woman. Don’t even go near the door of her house. [9] If you do, you will lose your honor to other people. You will give your self-respect to someone who is mean. [10] Strangers will use up all your wealth. Your hard work will make someone else rich. [11] At the end of your life you will groan. Your skin and your body will be worn out. [12] You will say, “How I hated to take advice! How my heart refused to be corrected! [13] I would not obey my teachers. I wouldn’t listen to those who taught me. [14] I was soon in deep trouble. It happened right in front of the whole assembly of God’s people.” [15] Drink water from your own well. Drink running water from your own spring. [16] Should your springs pour out into the streets? Should your streams of water pour out in public places? [17] No! Let them belong to you alone. Never share them with strangers. [18] May your fountain be blessed. May the wife you married when you were young make you happy. [19] She is like a loving doe, a graceful deer. May her breasts always satisfy you. May you always be captured by her love. [20] My son, why be captured by another man’s wife? Why hug a woman who has gone astray? [21] The LORD watches your ways. He studies all your paths. [22] Sinners are trapped by their own evil acts. They are held tight by the ropes of their sins. [23] They will die because they refused to be corrected. Their sins will capture them because they were very foolish.
