Study Desk

Drink water from your own cistern And ^[e]fresh water from your own well.

Should your ^(u)springs be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets?

Let them be yours alone And not for strangers with you.

Let your ^(v)fountain be blessed, And ^(w)rejoice in the ^(x)wife of your youth.

As a loving ^(y)hind and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; Be ^[f]exhilarated always with her love.

For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an ^[g](z)adulteress And embrace the bosom of a ^(aa)foreigner?

For the ^(ab)ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord , And He ^(ac)watches all his paths.

His ^(ad)own iniquities will capture the wicked, And he will be held with the cords of his sin.

He will ^(ae)die for lack of instruction, And in the greatness of his folly he will go astray.

My son, if you have become ^(a)surety for your neighbor, Have ^[a]given a pledge for a stranger,

If you have been snared with the words of your mouth, Have been caught with the words of your mouth,

Do this then, my son, and deliver yourself; Since you have come into the ^[b]hand of your neighbor, Go, humble yourself, and importune your neighbor.

Give no ^(b)sleep to your eyes, Nor slumber to your eyelids;

Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hunter's hand And like a ^(c)bird from the hand of the fowler.

Go to the ^(d)ant, O ^(e)sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise,

Which, having ^(f)no chief, Officer or ruler,

Prepares her food ^(g)in the summer And gathers her provision in the harvest.

How long will you lie down, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep?

"^(h)A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to ^[c]rest"—

⁽ⁱ⁾Your poverty will come in like a ^[d]vagabond And your need like ^[e]an armed man.

A ^(j)worthless person, a wicked man, Is the one who walks with a ^(k)perverse mouth,

Who ^(l)winks with his eyes, who ^[f]signals with his feet, Who ^[g]points with his fingers;

Who with ^(m)perversity in his heart continually ⁽ⁿ⁾devises evil, Who ^[h](o)spreads strife.

Therefore ^(p)his calamity will come suddenly; ^(q)Instantly he will be broken and there will be ^(r)no healing.

There are six things which the Lord hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination ^[i]to Him:

^(s)Haughty eyes, a ^(t)lying tongue, And hands that ^(u)shed innocent blood,

A heart that devises ^(v)wicked plans, ^(w)Feet that run rapidly to evil,

A ^(x)false witness who utters lies, And one who ^[j](y)spreads strife among brothers.

^(z)My son, observe the commandment of your father And do not forsake the ^[k]teaching of your mother;

^(aa)Bind them continually on your heart; Tie them around your neck.

When you ^(ab)walk about, ^[l]they will guide you; When you sleep, ^[m]they will watch over you; And when you awake, ^[n]they will talk to you.

For ^(ac)the commandment is a lamp and the ^[o]teaching is light; And reproofs for discipline are the way of life

To ^(ad)keep you from the evil woman, From the smooth tongue of the ^[p]adulteress.

^(ae)Do not desire her beauty in your heart, Nor let her capture you with her ^(af)eyelids.

For ^(ag)on account of a harlot one is reduced to a loaf of bread, And ^[q]an adulteress ^(ah)hunts for the precious life.

Can a man ^[r]take fire in his bosom And his clothes not be burned?

Or can a man walk on hot coals And his feet not be scorched?

So is the one who ^(ai)goes in to his neighbor's wife; Whoever touches her ^(aj)will not ^[s]go unpunished.

^[t]Men do not despise a thief if he steals To ^(ak)satisfy ^[u]himself when he is hungry;

But when he is found, he must ^(al)repay sevenfold; He must give all the ^[v]substance of his house.

The one who commits adultery with a woman is ^(am)lacking ^[w]sense; He who would ^(an)destroy ^[x]himself does it.

Wounds and disgrace he will find, And his reproach will not be blotted out.

For ^(ao)jealousy ^[y]enrages a man, And he will not spare in the ^(ap)day of vengeance.

He will not ^[z]accept any ransom, Nor will he be ^[aa]satisfied though you give many ^[ab]gifts.

My son, ^(a)keep my words And treasure my commandments within you.

^(b)Keep my commandments and live, And my ^[a]teaching ^(c)as the ^[b]apple of your eye.

^(d)Bind them on your fingers; ^(e)Write them on the tablet of your heart.

Say to wisdom, "You are my sister," And call understanding your intimate friend;

That they may keep you from an ^[c]adulteress, From the foreigner who ^[d]flatters with her words.

For ^(f)at the window of my house I looked out ^(g)through my lattice,

And I saw among the ^[e](h)naive, And discerned among the ^[f]youths A young man ⁽ⁱ⁾lacking ^[g]sense,

Passing through the street near ^(j)her corner; And he ^[h]takes the way to ^(k)her house,

In the ^(l)twilight, in the ^[i]evening, In the ^[j]middle of the night and in the darkness.

And behold, a woman comes to meet him, ^(m)Dressed as a harlot and cunning of heart.

She is ⁽ⁿ⁾boisterous and rebellious, Her ^(o)feet do not remain at home;

She is now in the streets, now ^(p)in the squares, And ^(q)lurks by every corner.

So she seizes him and kisses him ^[k]And with a ^(r)brazen face she says to him:

"^[l]I was due to offer ^(s)peace offerings; Today I have ^(t)paid my vows.

"Therefore I have come out to meet you, To seek your presence earnestly, and I have found you.

"I have spread my couch with ^(u)coverings, With colored ^(v)linens of Egypt.

"I have sprinkled my bed With ^(w)myrrh, aloes and ^(x)cinnamon.

"Come, let us drink our fill of love until morning; Let us delight ourselves with caresses.

"For ^[m]my husband is not at home, He has gone on a long journey;

He has taken a ^(y)bag of money ^[n]with him, At the full moon he will come home."

With her many persuasions she entices him; With her ^[o](z)flattering lips she seduces him.

Suddenly he follows her As an ox goes to the slaughter, Or as ^[p]one in fetters to the discipline of a fool,

Until an arrow pierces through his liver; As a ^(aa)bird hastens to the snare, So he does not know that it will cost him his life.

Now therefore, my sons, ^(ab)listen to me, And pay attention to the words of my mouth.

Do not let your heart ^(ac)turn aside to her ways, Do not stray into her paths.

For many are the ^[q]victims she has cast down, And ^(ad)numerous are all her slain.

Her ^(ae)house is the way to Sheol, Descending to the chambers of death.

Does not ^(a)wisdom call, And understanding ^[a]lift up her voice?

On top of ^(b)the heights beside the way, Where the paths meet, she takes her stand;

Beside the ^(c)gates, at the opening to the city, At the entrance of the doors, she cries out:

"To you, O men, I call, And my voice is to the sons of men.

"O ^[b](d)naive ones, understand prudence; And, O ^(e)fools, understand ^[c]wisdom.

"Listen, for I will speak ^(f)noble things; And the opening of my lips will reveal ^(g)right things.

"For my ^(h)mouth will utter truth; And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

"All the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness; There is nothing ⁽ⁱ⁾crooked or perverted in them.

"They are all ^(j)straightforward to him who understands, And right to those who ^(k)find knowledge.

"Take my ^(l)instruction and not silver, And knowledge rather than choicest gold.

"For wisdom is ^(m)better than ^[d]jewels; And ⁽ⁿ⁾all desirable things cannot compare with her.