Proverbs 5

Pitfalls of Immorality

1My son, 1pay attention to my wisdom, 2Incline your ear to my understanding,2So that you may 3maintain discretion And your 4lips may comply with knowledge.3For the lips of an 56adulteress 7drip honey, And her 8speech is 9smoother than oil;4But in the end she is 10bitter as wormwood, 11Sharp as a two-edged sword.5Her feet 12go down to death, Her steps take hold of Sheol.613She does not ponder the 14path of life; Her ways are 15unstable, she 16does not know it.

717Now then, my sons, listen to me And 18do not turn away from the words of my mouth.819Keep your way far from her, And do not go near the 20door of her house,9Otherwise you will give your vigor to others, And your years to the cruel one;10And strangers will be filled with your strength, And your hard-earned possessions will go to the house of a foreigner;11And you will groan 21in 22the end, When your flesh and your body are consumed;12And you say, “How I 23hated instruction! And my heart 24disdainfully rejected rebuke!13I did not listen to the voice of my 25teachers, Nor incline my ear to my instructors!14I was almost in total ruin In the midst of the assembly and congregation.”

15Drink water from your own cistern, And 26fresh water from your own well.16Should your 27springs overflow into the street, Streams of water in the public squares?17Let them be yours alone, And not for strangers with you.18Let your 28fountain be blessed, And 29rejoice in the 30wife of your youth.19Like a loving 31doe and a graceful mountain goat, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; Be 32exhilarated always with her love.20For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an 3334adulteress, And embrace the breasts of a 35foreigner?21For the 36ways of everyone are before the eyes of the Lord, And He 37observes all his paths.22His 38own wrongdoings will trap the wicked, And he will be held by the ropes of his sin.23He will 39die for lack of instruction, And in the greatness of his foolishness he will go astray.