Proverbs 5 Parallel Bible Translations

Proverbs 5 ▼
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1 My son, be attentive to my wisdom [godly wisdom learned by costly experience], Incline your ear to my understanding; My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding, My son, pay attention to my wisdom, turn your ear to my words of insight,
2 That you may exercise discrimination and discretion (good judgment), And your lips may reserve knowledge and answer wisely [to temptation]. that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge. that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge.
3 For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey [like a honeycomb] And her speech is smoother than oil; For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil;
4 But in the end she is bitter like [the extract of] wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death; Her steps take hold of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead), Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol; Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.
6 So that she does not think [seriously] about the path of life; Her ways are aimless and unstable; you cannot know where her path leads. she does not ponder the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it. She gives no thought to the way of life; her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it.
7 Now then, my sons, listen to me And do not depart from (forget) the words of my mouth. And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth. Now then, my sons, listen to me; do not turn aside from what I say.
8 Let your way [in life] be far from her, And do not go near the door of her house [avoid even being near the places of temptation], Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house, Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house,
9 Or you will give your honor to others, And your years to the cruel one, lest you give your honor to others and your years to the merciless, lest you lose your honor to others and your dignity to one who is cruel,
10 And strangers will be filled with your strength And your hard-earned wealth will go to the house of a foreigner [who does not know God]; lest strangers take their fill of your strength, and your labors go to the house of a foreigner, lest strangers feast on your wealth and your toil enrich the house of another.
11 And you will groan when your life is ending, When your flesh and your body are consumed; and at the end of your life you groan, when your flesh and body are consumed, At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent.
12 And you say, “How I hated instruction and discipline, And my heart despised correction and reproof! and you say, “How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof! You will say, “How I hated discipline! How my heart spurned correction!
13 “I have not listened to the voice of my teachers, Nor have I inclined my ear to those who instructed me. I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors. I would not obey my teachers or turn my ear to my instructors.
14 “I was almost in total ruin In the midst of the assembly and congregation.” I am at the brink of utter ruin in the assembled congregation.” And I was soon in serious trouble in the assembly of God’s people.”
15 Drink water from your own cistern [of a pure marriage relationship] And fresh running water from your own well. Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well. Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well.
16 Should your springs (children) be dispersed, As streams of water in the streets? Should your springs be scattered abroad, streams of water in the streets? Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares?
17 [Confine yourself to your own wife.] Let your children be yours alone, And not the children of strangers with you. Let them be for yourself alone, and not for strangers with you. Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers.
18 Let your fountain (wife) be blessed [with the rewards of fidelity], And rejoice in the wife of your youth. Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 Let her be as a loving hind and graceful doe, Let her breasts refresh and satisfy you at all times; Always be exhilarated and delight in her love. a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love. A loving doe, a graceful deer— may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
20 Why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an immoral woman And embrace the bosom of an outsider (pagan)? Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman and embrace the bosom of an adulteress? Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife? Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?
21 For the ways of man are directly before the eyes of the LORD, And He carefully watches all of his paths [all of his comings and goings]. For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and he ponders all his paths. For your ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all your paths.
22 The iniquities done by a wicked man will trap him, And he will be held with the cords of his sin. The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin. The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them; the cords of their sins hold them fast.
23 He will die for lack of instruction (discipline), And in the greatness of his foolishness he will go astray and be lost. He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is led astray. For lack of discipline they will die, led astray by their own great folly.
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