^{1 Ref} My son, keep my words, And lay up my commandments with thee.

^{2 Ref} Keep my commandments and live; And my law as the apple of thine eye.

^{3 Ref} Bind them upon thy fingers; Write them upon the tablet of thy heart.

^{4 Ref} Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; And call understanding `thy' kinswoman:

^{5 Ref} That they may keep thee from the strange woman, From the foreigner that flattereth with her words.

^{6 Ref} For at the window of my house I looked forth through my lattice;

^{7 Ref} And I beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, A young man void of understanding,

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

^{9 Ref} In the twilight, in the evening of the day, In the middle of the night and in the darkness.

^{10 Ref} And, behold, there met him a woman With the attire of a harlot, and wily of heart.

^{11 Ref} She is clamorous and wilful; Her feet abide not in her house:

^{12 Ref} Now she is in the streets, now in the broad places, And lieth in wait at every corner.

^{13 Ref} So she caught him, and kissed him, `And' with an impudent face she said unto him:

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

¹⁵ Therefore came I forth to meet thee, Diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.

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

^{17 Ref} 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 Ref} For the man is not at home; He is gone a long journey:

^{20 Ref} He hath taken a bag of money with him; He will come home at the full moon.

^{21 Ref} With her much fair speech she causeth him to yield; With the flattering of her lips she forceth him along.

^{22 Ref} He goeth after her straightway, As an ox goeth to the slaughter, Or as `one in' fetters to the correction of the fool;

^{23 Ref} Till an arrow strike through his liver; As a bird hasteth to the snare, And knoweth not that it is for his life.

^{24 Ref} Now therefore, `my' sons, hearken unto me, And attend to the words of my mouth.

^{25 Ref} Let not thy heart decline to her ways; Go not astray in her paths.

^{26 Ref} For she hath cast down many wounded: Yea, all her slain are a mighty host.

^{27 Ref} Her house is the way to Sheol, Going down to the chambers of death.