1 My son, keep my words, And lay up my commandments with you.

2 Keep my commandments and live; And my law as the apple of your eye.

3 Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart.

4 Say to wisdom, You are my sister; And call understanding [your] kinswoman:

5 That they may keep you from the strange woman, From the foreigner who flatters with her words.

6 For at the window of my house I looked forth through my lattice;

7 And I saw among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, A young man void of understanding,

8 Passing through the street near her corner; And he went the way to her house,

9 In the twilight, in the evening of the day, In the middle of the night and in the darkness.

10 And, look, there met him a woman With the attire of a prostitute, and wily of heart.

11 She is clamorous and willful; Her feet do not stay in her house:

12 Now she is in the streets, now in the broad places, And lies in wait at every corner.

13 So she caught him, and kissed him, [And] with an impudent face she said to him:

14 Sacrifices of peace-offerings are with me; This day I have paid my vows.

15 Therefore I came forth to meet you, Diligently to seek your face, and I have found you.

16 I have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry, With striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt.

17 I have perfumed my bed With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning; Let us solace ourselves with loves.

19 For the man is not at home; He has gone on a long journey:

20 He has taken a bag of money with him; He will come home at the full moon.

21 With her much fair speech she causes him to yield; With the flattering of her lips she forces him along.

22 He goes after her right away, As an ox goes to the slaughter, Or as [one in] fetters to the correction of the fool;

23 Until an arrow strikes through his liver; As a bird hurries to the snare, And does not know that it is for his life.

24 Now therefore, [my] sons, listen to me, And attend to the words of my mouth.

25 Don't let your heart decline to her ways; Don't go astray in her paths.

26 For she has cast down many wounded: Yes, all her slain are a mighty host.

27 Her house is the way to Sheol, Going down to the chambers of death.