Proverbs 5 Parallel Bible Translations

Proverbs 5 ▼
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JPS
JPS Tanakh 1917
ESV
English Standard Version
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1 My son, attend unto my wisdom; Incline thine 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 thou mayest preserve discretion, And that thy lips may keep knowledge. 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 a strange woman drop honey, And her mouth 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 her end is bitter as 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 on the nether-world; 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 Lest she should walk the even path of life, Her ways wander, but she knoweth it not. 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 therefore, O ye children, hearken unto me, And depart not from 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 Remove thy way far from her, And come not nigh the door of her house; 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 Lest thou give thy vigour unto others, And thy years unto the cruel; 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 Lest strangers be filled with thy strength, And thy labours be in the house of an alien; 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 thou moan, when thine end cometh, When thy flesh and thy 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 say: 'How have I hated instruction, And my heart despised 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 Neither have I hearkened to the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined mine ear to them that 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 well nigh in all evil In the midst of the congregation and assembly.' 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 waters out of thine own cistern, And running waters out of thine 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 Let thy springs be dispersed abroad, And courses 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 Let them be only thine own, And not strangers' with thee. 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 thy fountain be blessed; And have joy of the wife of thy 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 A lovely hind and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; With her love be thou ravished always. 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 then wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, And embrace the bosom of an alien? 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 before the eyes of the LORD, And He maketh even all his paths. 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 His own iniquities shall ensnare the wicked, And he shall be holden 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 shall die for lack of instruction; And in the greatness of his folly he shall reel. 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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