1My son, pay attention to my wisdom, listen well to my words of insight,
2that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge.
3For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil;
4but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword.
5Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.
6She gives no thought to the way of life; her paths are crooked, but she knows it not.
7Now then, my sons, listen to me; do not turn aside from what I say.
8Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house,
9lest you give your best strength to others and your years to one who is cruel,
10lest strangers feast on your wealth and your toil enrich another man's house.
11At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent.
12You will say, "How I hated discipline! How my heart spurned correction!
13I would not obey my teachers or listen to my instructors.
14I have come to the brink of utter ruin in the midst of the whole assembly."
15Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well.
16Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares?
17Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers.
18May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19A loving doe, a graceful deer- may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love.
20Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another man's wife?
21For a man's ways are in full view of the Lord , and he examines all his paths.
22The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast.
23He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly.