Proverbs 5:1-18
Proverbs 5:1-20 The Message (MSG)
Dear friend, pay close attention to this, my wisdom; listen very closely to the way I see it. Then you’ll acquire a taste for good sense; what I tell you will keep you out of trouble. The lips of a seductive woman are oh so sweet, her soft words are oh so smooth. But it won’t be long before she’s gravel in your mouth, a pain in your gut, a wound in your heart. She’s dancing down the perfumed path to Death; she’s headed straight for Hell and taking you with her. She hasn’t a clue about Real Life, about who she is or where she’s going. So, my friend, listen closely; don’t treat my words casually. Keep your distance from such a woman; absolutely stay out of her neighborhood. You don’t want to squander your wonderful life, to waste your precious life among the hardhearted. Why should you allow strangers to take advantage of you? Why be exploited by those who care nothing for you? You don’t want to end your life full of regrets, nothing but sin and bones, Saying, “Oh, why didn’t I do what they told me? Why did I reject a disciplined life? Why didn’t I listen to my mentors, or take my teachers seriously? My life is ruined! I haven’t one blessed thing to show for my life!” Do you know the saying, “Drink from your own rain barrel, draw water from your own spring-fed well”? It’s true. Otherwise, you may one day come home and find your barrel empty and your well polluted. Your spring water is for you and you only, not to be passed around among strangers. Bless your fresh-flowing fountain! Enjoy the wife you married as a young man! Lovely as an angel, beautiful as a rose— don’t ever quit taking delight in her body. Never take her love for granted! Why would you trade enduring intimacies for cheap thrills with a prostitute? for dalliance with a promiscuous stranger?
Proverbs 5:1-18 King James Version (KJV)
My son, attend unto my wisdom, And bow thine ear to my understanding: That thou mayest regard discretion, And that thy lips may keep knowledge. For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, And her mouth is smoother than oil: But her end is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a twoedged sword. Her feet go down to death; Her steps take hold on hell. Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, Her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them. Hear me now therefore, O ye children, And depart not from the words of my mouth. Remove thy way far from her, And come not nigh the door of her house: Lest thou give thine honour unto others, And thy years unto the cruel: Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; And thy labours be in the house of a stranger; And thou mourn at the last, When thy flesh and thy body are consumed, And say, How have I hated instruction, And my heart despised reproof; And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me! I was almost in all evil In the midst of the congregation and assembly. Drink waters out of thine own cistern, And running waters out of thine own well. Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, And rivers of waters in the streets. Let them be only thine own, And not strangers' with thee. Let thy fountain be blessed: And rejoice with the wife of thy youth.
Proverbs 5:1-18 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)
My son, give attention to my wisdom, Incline your ear to my understanding; That you may observe discretion And your lips may reserve knowledge. For the lips of an adulteress drip honey And smoother than oil is her speech; But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death, Her steps take hold of Sheol. She does not ponder the path of life; Her ways are unstable, she does not know it. Now then, my sons, listen to me And do not depart from the words of my mouth. Keep your way far from her And do not go near the door of her house, Or you will give your vigor to others And your years to the cruel one; And strangers will be filled with your strength And your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien; And you groan at your final end, When your flesh and your body are consumed; And you say, “How I have hated instruction! And my heart spurned reproof! I have not listened to the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined my ear to my instructors! I was almost in utter ruin In the midst of the assembly and congregation.” Drink water from your own cistern And fresh water from your own well. Should your springs be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets? Let them be yours alone And not for strangers with you. Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice in the wife of your youth.
Proverbs 5:1-18 New Century Version (NCV)
My son, pay attention to my wisdom; listen to my words of understanding. Be careful to use good sense, and watch what you say. The words of another man’s wife may seem sweet as honey; they may be as smooth as olive oil. But in the end she will bring you sorrow, causing you pain like a two-edged sword. She is on the way to death; her steps are headed straight to the grave. She gives little thought to life. She doesn’t even know that her ways are wrong. Now, my sons, listen to me, and don’t ignore what I say. Stay away from such a woman. Don’t even go near the door of her house, or you will give your riches to others, and the best years of your life will be given to someone cruel. Strangers will enjoy your wealth, and what you worked so hard for will go to someone else. You will groan at the end of your life when your health is gone. Then you will say, “I hated being told what to do! I would not listen to correction! I would not listen to my teachers or pay attention to my instructors. I came close to being completely ruined in front of a whole group of people.” Be faithful to your own wife, just as you drink water from your own well. Don’t pour your water in the streets; don’t give your love to just any woman. These things are yours alone and shouldn’t be shared with strangers. Be happy with the wife you married when you were young. She gives you joy, as your fountain gives you water.
Proverbs 5:1-18 American Standard Version (ASV)
My son, attend unto my wisdom; Incline thine ear to my understanding: That thou mayest preserve discretion, And that thy lips may keep knowledge. For the lips of a strange woman drop honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil: But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; Her steps take hold on Sheol; So that she findeth not the level path of life: Her ways are unstable, and she knoweth it not. Now therefore, my sons, hearken unto me, And depart not from the words of my mouth. Remove thy way far from her, And come not nigh the door of her house; Lest thou give thine honor unto others, And thy years unto the cruel; Lest strangers be filled with thy strength, And thy labors be in the house of an alien, And thou mourn at thy latter end, When thy flesh and thy body are consumed, And say, How have I hated instruction, And my heart despised reproof; Neither have I obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me! I was well-nigh in all evil In the midst of the assembly and congregation. Drink waters out of thine own cistern, And running waters out of thine own well. Should thy springs be dispersed abroad, And streams of water in the streets? Let them be for thyself alone, And not for strangers with thee. Let thy fountain be blessed; And rejoice in the wife of thy youth.
Proverbs 5:1-18 New International Version (NIV)
My son, pay attention to my wisdom, turn your ear to my words of insight, that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge. For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave. She gives no thought to the way of life; her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it. Now then, my sons, listen to me; do not turn aside from what I say. Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house, lest you lose your honor to others and your dignity to one who is cruel, lest strangers feast on your wealth and your toil enrich the house of another. At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent. You will say, “How I hated discipline! How my heart spurned correction! I would not obey my teachers or turn my ear to my instructors. And I was soon in serious trouble in the assembly of God’s people.” Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well. Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares? Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers. May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
Proverbs 5:1-18 New King James Version (NKJV)
My son, pay attention to my wisdom; Lend your ear to my understanding, That you may preserve discretion, And your lips may keep knowledge. For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil; But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death, Her steps lay hold of hell. Lest you ponder her path of life— Her ways are unstable; You do not know them. Therefore hear me now, my children, And do not depart from the words of my mouth. Remove your way far from her, And do not go near the door of her house, Lest you give your honor to others, And your years to the cruel one; Lest aliens be filled with your wealth, And your labors go to the house of a foreigner; And you mourn at last, When your flesh and your body are consumed, And say: “How I have hated instruction, And my heart despised correction! I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me! I was on the verge of total ruin, In the midst of the assembly and congregation.” Drink water from your own cistern, And running water from your own well. Should your fountains be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets? Let them be only your own, And not for strangers with you. Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice with the wife of your youth.
Proverbs 5:1-18 Amplified Bible (AMP)
My son, be attentive to my wisdom [godly wisdom learned by costly experience], Incline your ear to my understanding; [1 Kin 4:29] That you may exercise discrimination and discretion (good judgment), And your lips may reserve knowledge and answer wisely [to temptation]. For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey [like a honeycomb] And her speech is smoother than oil; [Ezek 20:30; Col 2:8-10; 2 Pet 2:14-17] But in the end she is bitter like [the extract of] wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; Her steps take hold of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead), So that she does not think [seriously] about the path of life; Her ways are aimless and unstable; you cannot know where her path leads. ¶Now then, my sons, listen to me And do not depart from (forget) the words of my mouth. Let your way [in life] be far from her, And do not go near the door of her house [avoid even being near the places of temptation], [Prov 4:15; Rom 16:17; 1 Thess 5:19-22] Or you will give your honor to others, And your years to the cruel one, And strangers will be filled with your strength And your hard-earned wealth will go to the house of a foreigner [who does not know God]; And you will groan when your life is ending, When your flesh and your body are consumed; And you say, “How I hated instruction and discipline, And my heart despised correction and reproof! “I have not listened to the voice of my teachers, Nor have I inclined my ear to those who instructed me. “I was almost in total ruin In the midst of the assembly and congregation.” ¶Drink water from your own cistern [of a pure marriage relationship] And fresh running water from your own well. Should your springs (children) be dispersed, As streams of water in the streets? [Confine yourself to your own wife.] Let your children be yours alone, And not the children of strangers with you. Let your fountain (wife) be blessed [with the rewards of fidelity], And rejoice in the wife of your youth. [Song 4:12, 15]
Proverbs 5:1-18 New Living Translation (NLT)
My son, pay attention to my wisdom; listen carefully to my wise counsel. Then you will show discernment, and your lips will express what you’ve learned. For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil. But in the end she is as bitter as poison, as dangerous as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave. For she cares nothing about the path to life. She staggers down a crooked trail and doesn’t realize it. So now, my sons, listen to me. Never stray from what I am about to say: Stay away from her! Don’t go near the door of her house! If you do, you will lose your honor and will lose to merciless people all you have achieved. Strangers will consume your wealth, and someone else will enjoy the fruit of your labor. In the end you will groan in anguish when disease consumes your body. You will say, “How I hated discipline! If only I had not ignored all the warnings! Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers? Why didn’t I pay attention to my instructors? I have come to the brink of utter ruin, and now I must face public disgrace.” Drink water from your own well— share your love only with your wife. Why spill the water of your springs in the streets, having sex with just anyone? You should reserve it for yourselves. Never share it with strangers. Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth.
Proverbs 5:1-18 The Passion Translation (TPT)
Listen to me, my son, for I know what I’m talking about. Listen carefully to my advice so that wisdom and discernment will enter your heart, and then the words you speak will express what you’ve learned. Remember this: The lips of a seductress seem sweet like honey, and her smooth words are like music in your ears. But I promise you this: In the end all you’ll be left with is a bitter conscience. For the sting of your sin will pierce your soul like a sword. She will ruin your life, drag you down to death, and lead you straight to hell. She has prevented many from considering the paths of life. Yes, she will take you with her where you don’t want to go, sliding down a slippery road and not even realizing where the two of you will end up! Listen to me, young men, and don’t forget this one thing I’m telling you— run away from her as fast as you can! Don’t even go near the door of her house unless you want to fall into her seduction. In disgrace you will relinquish your honor to another, and all your remaining years will be squandered— given over to the cruel one. Why would you let strangers take away your strength while the labors of your house go to someone else? For when you grow old you will groan in anguish and shame as sexually transmitted diseases consume your body. And then finally you’ll admit that you were wrong and say, “If only I had listened to wisdom’s voice and not stubbornly demanded my own way, because my heart hated to be told what to do! Why didn’t I take seriously the warning of my wise counselors? Why was I so stupid to think that I could get away with it? Now I’m totally disgraced and my life is ruined! I’m paying the price— for the people of the congregation are now my judges.” My son, share your love with your wife alone. Drink from her well of pleasure and from no other. Why would you have sex with a stranger or with anyone other than her? Reserve this pleasure for you and her alone and do not share it with another. Your sex life will be blessed as you take joy and pleasure in the wife of your youth.
Proverbs 5:1-18 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)
My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding, that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge. For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol; she does not ponder the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it. And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth. Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house, lest you give your honor to others and your years to the merciless, lest strangers take their fill of your strength, and your labors go to the house of a foreigner, and at the end of your life you groan, when your flesh and body are consumed, and you say, “How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof! I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors. I am at the brink of utter ruin in the assembled congregation.” Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well. Should your springs be scattered abroad, streams of water in the streets? Let them be for yourself alone, and not for strangers with you. Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth