Proverbs 7
1Beni (my son), be shomer over my words, 1 and treasure up my mitzvot with thee. 1
2Be shomer over my mitzvot, and live, 1 and over my torah as the apple of thine eye. 1
3Bind them upon thy fingers, 1 write them upon the luach (tablet) of thine lev. 1
4Say unto chochmah, Thou art my achot; 1 and call binah (understanding) thy kinsman; 1
5That they may be shomer over thee and keep thee from the zarah, 1 from the nokhriyah with her smooth words. 1
6For at the chalon (window) of my bais 1 I looked through my lattice, 1
7And beheld among the simple ones, 1 I discerned among the banim, 1 a na'ar (young man) devoid of lev, + 7:7 of understanding, sense 1
8Passing through the street near her corner; 1 and he went on the derech to her bais, 1
9In the twilight, at erev, 1 in the black and dark lailah; 1
10And, hinei, there met him an isha 1 with the attire of a zonah, 1 and crafty of lev 1
11— She is loud and soreret (rebellious, defiant); 1 her raglayim abide not in her bais; 1
12Now is she without, now in the rechovot, 1 and lurketh in wait at every pinnah (corner) — 1
13So she caught hold of him, and kissed him, 1 and with a brazen ponem said unto him, 1
14I have zivkhei shelamim vowed; 1 this yom have I payed my neder. 1
15Al ken (therefore) came I forth to meet thee, 1 diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee. 1
16I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, 1 with a bedspread of fine linen of Mitzrayim. 1
17I have perfumed my mishkav (bed) 1 with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. 1
18Come, let us take our fill of dodim (loves) until boker; 1 let us delight ourselves with ahavim (loves). + 7:18 pl. of intensity 1
19For the ish (man), + 7:19 i.e., husband is not b'bais, 1 he is gone a derech merachok (distant journey); 1
20He hath taken a bag of kesef with him, 1 and will come back to his bais at the appointed time. 1
21By her enticing speech she caused him to yield, 1 with the smoothness of her sfatayim she seduced him. 1
22He goeth after her and followeth immediately, 1 as a shor (ox) goeth to tavach (stock yard, slaughter-house), 1 or as if bound with fetters to the musar (punishment) of the fool; 1
23Till a khetz (arrow) strike through his liver; 1 as a tzippor hasteth to the pach (snare), 1 and knoweth not that it is for his nefesh (life). 1
24Pay heed unto me now therefore, O ye banim, 1 and attend to the words of my peh (mouth). 1
25Let not thine lev turn aside to her drakhim; 1 go not astray in her netivot (trodden paths). 1
26For she hath cast down many chalalim (wounded); 1 indeed, many strong men have been slain by her. 1
27Her bais is the drakhei Sheol, 1 going down to the chadarim (chambers, rooms) of mavet (death). + 7:27 T.N. The off-stage character here in chapter 7 has been the cuckold. Because of her Ba'al affair, Hashem became the cuckold of Israel even as Hosea became the cuckold of Gomer.