1My son, pay attention to my wisdom; listen closely to my understanding,
2so that you may use good judgment and your lips may preserve knowledge.
3For the lips of an unfaithful woman drip honey; her speech is smoother than oil,
4but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a double-edged sword.
5Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.
6She does not consider the path of life; her ways are twisted, and she does not know it.
7So now, my sons, listen to me. Don’t ignore what I say.
8Stay far away from her. Don’t go near her house.
9Otherwise, you will lose your honor to others, and your best years to a cruel person.
10Otherwise, strangers will feast on your wealth, and your hard work will enrich another man's house.
11In the end, when your body is wasting away, you will groan
12and say, “How I hated correction, and my heart rejected advice!
13I didn’t obey my teachers, nor did I listen to those who instructed me!
14I was almost completely ruined, right in front of everyone.”
15Drink water from your own cistern, fresh water from your own well.
16Should your springs overflow into the streets, streams of water in the public squares?
17Let them be for you alone, not for strangers to share with you.
18Let your wellspring be blessed. Find joy in the wife you married in your youth.
19She is like a loving deer, a graceful doe. Let her love always satisfy you completely. Be always captivated by her love.
20My son, why would you be captivated by an unfaithful woman? Why would you embrace the wife of another man?
21Yahweh sees everything a person does. He examines all their paths.
22A wicked person is trapped by their own evil deeds. The ropes of their sin hold them tightly.
23They will die because they refused instruction. They will be led astray by their great foolishness.