| א בְּנִי, לְחָכְמָתִי הַקְשִׁיבָה; לִתְבוּנָתִי, הַט-אָזְנֶךָ. |
1 My son, attend unto my wisdom; incline thine ear to my understanding; |
| ב לִשְׁמֹר מְזִמּוֹת; וְדַעַת, שְׂפָתֶיךָ יִנְצֹרוּ. |
2 That thou mayest preserve discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge. |
| ג כִּי נֹפֶת תִּטֹּפְנָה, שִׂפְתֵי זָרָה; וְחָלָק מִשֶּׁמֶן חִכָּהּ. |
3 For the lips of a strange woman drop honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil; |
| ד וְאַחֲרִיתָהּ, מָרָה כַלַּעֲנָה; חַדָּה, כְּחֶרֶב פִּיּוֹת. |
4 But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. |
| ה רַגְלֶיהָ, יֹרְדוֹת מָוֶת; שְׁאוֹל, צְעָדֶיהָ יִתְמֹכוּ. |
5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on the nether-world; |
| ו אֹרַח חַיִּים, פֶּן-תְּפַלֵּס; נָעוּ מַעְגְּלֹתֶיהָ, לֹא תֵדָע. | 6 Lest she should walk the even path of life, her ways wander, but she knoweth it not. {P} |
| ז וְעַתָּה בָנִים, שִׁמְעוּ-לִי; וְאַל-תָּסוּרוּ, מֵאִמְרֵי-פִי. |
7 Now therefore, O ye children, hearken unto me, and depart not from the words of my mouth. |
| ח הַרְחֵק מֵעָלֶיהָ דַרְכֶּךָ; וְאַל-תִּקְרַב, אֶל-פֶּתַח בֵּיתָהּ. |
8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house; |
| ט פֶּן-תִּתֵּן לַאֲחֵרִים הוֹדֶךָ; וּשְׁנֹתֶיךָ, לְאַכְזָרִי. |
9 Lest thou give thy vigour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel; |
| י פֶּן-יִשְׂבְּעוּ זָרִים כֹּחֶךָ; וַעֲצָבֶיךָ, בְּבֵית נָכְרִי. |
10 Lest strangers be filled with thy strength, and thy labours be in the house of an alien; |
| יא וְנָהַמְתָּ בְאַחֲרִיתֶךָ; בִּכְלוֹת בְּשָׂרְךָ, וּשְׁאֵרֶךָ. |
11 And thou moan, when thine end cometh, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed, |
| יב וְאָמַרְתָּ--אֵיךְ, שָׂנֵאתִי מוּסָר; וְתוֹכַחַת, נָאַץ לִבִּי. |
12 And say: 'How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof; |
| יג וְלֹא-שָׁמַעְתִּי, בְּקוֹל מוֹרָי; וְלִמְלַמְּדַי, לֹא-הִטִּיתִי אָזְנִי. |
13 Neither have I hearkened to the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me! |
| יד כִּמְעַט, הָיִיתִי בְכָל-רָע-- בְּתוֹךְ קָהָל וְעֵדָה. |
14 I was well nigh in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.' |
| טו שְׁתֵה-מַיִם מִבּוֹרֶךָ; וְנֹזְלִים, מִתּוֹךְ בְּאֵרֶךָ. |
15 Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well. |
| טז יָפוּצוּ מַעְיְנֹתֶיךָ חוּצָה; בָּרְחֹבוֹת, פַּלְגֵי-מָיִם. |
16 Let thy springs be dispersed abroad, and courses of water in the streets. |
| יז יִהְיוּ-לְךָ לְבַדֶּךָ; וְאֵין לְזָרִים אִתָּךְ. |
17 Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee. |
| יח יְהִי-מְקוֹרְךָ בָרוּךְ; וּשְׂמַח, מֵאֵשֶׁת נְעוּרֶךָ. |
18 Let thy fountain be blessed; and have joy of the wife of thy youth. |
|
יט אַיֶּלֶת אֲהָבִים, וְיַעֲלַת-חֵן: דַּדֶּיהָ, יְרַוֻּךָ בְכָל-עֵת; בְּאַהֲבָתָהּ, תִּשְׁגֶּה תָמִיד. |
19 A lovely hind and a graceful doe, {N} let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; with her love be thou ravished always. |
| כ וְלָמָּה תִשְׁגֶּה בְנִי בְזָרָה; וּתְחַבֵּק, חֵק נָכְרִיָּה. |
20 Why then wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of an alien? |
| כא כִּי נֹכַח, עֵינֵי יְהוָה--דַּרְכֵי-אִישׁ; וְכָל-מַעְגְּלֹתָיו מְפַלֵּס. |
21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and He maketh even all his paths. |
| כב עֲווֹנֹתָיו--יִלְכְּדֻנוֹ אֶת-הָרָשָׁע; וּבְחַבְלֵי חַטָּאתוֹ, יִתָּמֵךְ. |
22 His own iniquities shall ensnare the wicked, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sin. |
| כג הוּא--יָמוּת, בְּאֵין מוּסָר; וּבְרֹב אִוַּלְתּוֹ יִשְׁגֶּה. | 23 He shall die for lack of instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall reel. {P} |