Old Testament · Poetry and wisdom

Proverbs chapter 7

My son, what I’m telling you. Guard my like a treasure.Follow my instructions and you’ll thrive. Protect my the way you’d protect .. .Say to , “You’re my sister,” and call your .This will keep you safe from —from the stranger whose words drip with .I was at the window of my house one day, looking out through the shutters,and I noticed the young and walking by. Among them I spotted a young man with at all.He was walking down the street near her corner, heading in the direction of her house,in the , as the night grew dark and deep.And there she was—a woman coming toward him, , with .She’s and , the kind who can’t stay home.One moment she’s on the street, the next in the town square—lurking at every corner.She grabbed him and kissed him. Then, , she said to him:“I had to make a today—I just fulfilled my .So I came out looking for you—I just had to find you. And here you are!I’ve made my bed gorgeous— sheets, beautifully colored.I’ve perfumed my bed with , aloes, and cinnamon.Come on—let’s until morning. Let’s lose ourselves in pleasure all night long.My isn’t home—he’s gone on a long trip.He took a bag full of money with him. He won’t be back until the .”With all her she won him over. With her she .And just like that, he followed her—like an , like a ,until an —like a bird rushing headlong into a net, not knowing it will .So now, sons, listen to me. Pay close attention to what I’m saying.Don’t let your wander toward her path. Don’t stray onto her roads.She’s brought down so many . The list of men she’s destroyed is endless.Her house is the highway to —a road that leads straight down to .