MY son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:
2 That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.
3 For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:
4 But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.
6 Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.
7 Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.
8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:
9 Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:
10 Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;
11 And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,
12 And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;
13 And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!
14 I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.
15 Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.
16 Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets.
17 Let them be only thine own, and not strangers’ with thee.
18 Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.
19 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.
20 And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?
21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings.
22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.
23 He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

1My sonne, attend vnto my wisedome, and bowe thine eare to my vnderstanding.

2That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keepe knowledge.

3 For the lips of a strange woman drop as an hony combe, and her mouth is smoother then oyle.

4But her end is bitter as wormewood, sharpe as a two edged sword.

5Her feete goe downe to death: her steps take hold on hell.

6Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her wayes are moueable, that thou canst not know them.

7Heare me now therefore, O yee children: & depart not from the words of my mouth.

8Remoue thy way farre from her, and come not nie the doore of her house:

9Lest thou giue thine honour vnto others, and thy yeeres vnto the cruell:

10Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth, and thy labors be in the house of a stranger,

11And thou mourne at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,

12And say, How haue I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproofe?

13And haue not obeyed the voyce of my teachers, nor inclined mine eare to them that instructed me?

14I was almost in all euill, in the midst of the congregation & assembly.

15 Drinke waters out of thine owne cisterne, and running waters out of thine owne well.

16Let thy fountaines bee dispersed abroad, and riuers of waters in the streets.

17Let them be onely thine owne, and not strangers with thee.

18Let thy fountaine be blessed: and reioyce with the wife of thy youth.

19Let her bee as the louing Hinde and pleasant Roe, let her breasts satisfie thee at all times, and be thou rauisht alwayes with her loue.

20And why wilt thou, my sonne, be rauisht with a strange woman, and imbrace the bosome of a stranger?

21For the wayes of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings.

22 His owne iniquities shall take the wicked himselfe, and he shall be holden with the coards of his sinnes.

23He shall die without instruction, and in the greatnesse of his folly he shal goe astray.

II == Mal 2:7

 

 

 

IV == Eccl 7:26 ; Heb 4:12

 

V == Prov 7:27

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XII == Prov 1:25 , 29 ; 12:1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XVIII == Mal 2:14

 

XIX == Song 2:9 ; 4:5 ; 7:3

 

XX == Prov 2:16 ; 7:5

XXI == 2nd Chr 16:9 ; Job 31:4 ; 34:21 ; Prov 15:3 ; Jer 16:17 ; 32:19 ; Hos 4:2 ; Heb 4:13

XXII == Ps 9:15

 

XXIII == Job 4:21 ; 36:12

 

 

 

 

1 My son, to my wisdom be attentive, to my knowledge incline your ear,

2 That discretion may watch over you, and understanding may guard you.

3 The lips of an adulteress drip with honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil;

4 But in the end she is as bitter as wormwood, as sharp as a two-edged sword.

5 Her feet go down to death, to the nether world her steps attain;

6 Lest you see before you the road to life, her paths will ramble, you know not where.

7 So now, O children, listen to me, go not astray from the words of my mouth.

8 Keep your way far from her, approach not the door of her house,

9 Lest you give your honor to others, and your years to a merciless one;

10 Lest strangers have their fill of your wealth, your hard-won earnings go to an alien's house;

11 And you groan in the end, when your flesh and your body are consumed;

12 And you say, "Oh, why did I hate instruction, and my heart spurn reproof!

13 Why did I not listen to the voice of my teachers, nor to my instructors incline my ear!

14 I have all but come to utter ruin, condemned by the public assembly!"

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

16 How may your water sources be dispersed abroad, streams of water in the streets?

17 Let your fountain be yours alone, not one shared with strangers;

18 And have joy of the wife of your youth,

19 your lovely hind, your graceful doe. Her love will invigorate you always, through her love you will flourish continually,

6:22

When you lie down she will watch over you, and when you wake, she will share your concerns; wherever you turn, she will guide you.

20 Why then, my son, should you go astray for another's wife and accept the embraces of an adulteress?

21 For each man's ways are plain to the LORD'S sight; all their paths he surveys;

22 By his own iniquities the wicked man will be caught, in the meshes of his own sin he will be held fast;

23 He will die from lack of discipline, through the greatness of his folly he will be lost.

This whole chapter is a severe rebuke to immorality. Verses 18 and 19 state the value of the expression of physical love in marriage, but the verses before and after give warning against that expression outside of marriage.