The Peril of Adultery
1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
1 Lend your ear to my understanding,
‡
2 That you may
1 preserve discretion,
And your lips
a may keep knowledge.
‡
3 a For the lips of
1 an immoral woman drip honey,
And her mouth
is b smoother than oil;
‡
4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
Sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death,
a Her steps lay hold of
1 hell.
‡
6 Lest you ponder
her path of life—
Her ways are unstable;
You do not know
them.
7 Therefore hear me now,
my children,
And do not depart from the words of my mouth.
8 Remove your way far from her,
And do not go near the door of her house,
9 Lest you give your
1 honor to others,
And your years to the cruel
one; ‡
10 Lest aliens be filled with your
1 wealth,
And your labors
go to the house of a foreigner;
‡
11 And you mourn at last,
When your flesh and your body are consumed,
12 And say:
“How I have hated instruction,
And my heart despised correction!
13 I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers,
Nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me!
New King James Version®, Copyright© 1982, Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
