Pro 7:7-27 | ESV | STEP | and I have seen among the simple , I have perceived among the youths , a young man lacking sense ,

‏ Proverbs 7:7-27

7 and I have seen among ^athe simple,
I have perceived among the youths,
a young man ^blacking sense,
8 passing along the street ^cnear her corner,
taking the road to her house
9 in ^dthe twilight, in the evening,
at ^ethe time of night and darkness.
10 And behold, the woman meets him,
^fdressed as a prostitute, wily of heart. ^{▼▼Hebrew guarded in heart}
11 She is ^hloud and ⁱwayward;
^jher feet do not stay at home;
12 now in the street, now in the market,
and ^kat every corner she ^llies in wait.
13 She seizes him and kisses him,
and with ^mbold face she says to him,
14 “I had to ⁿoffer sacrifices, ^{▼▼Hebrew peace offerings}
and today I have ^ppaid my vows;
15 so now I have come out to meet you,
to seek you eagerly, and I have found you.
16 I have spread my couch with ^qcoverings,
colored linens from ^rEgyptian linen;
17 I have perfumed my bed with ^smyrrh,
aloes, and ^tcinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love till morning;
let us delight ourselves with love.
19 For ^umy husband is not at home;
he has gone on a long journey;
20 he took a bag of money with him;
at full moon he will come home.”
21 With much seductive speech she persuades him;
with ^vher smooth talk she compels him.
22 All at once he follows her,
as an ox goes to the slaughter,
or as a stag is caught fast ^{▼▼Probable reading (compare Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac); Hebrew as an anklet for the discipline of a fool}
23 till an arrow pierces its liver;
as ^xa bird rushes into a snare;
he does not know that it will cost him his life.
24 And ^ynow, O sons, listen to me,
and be attentive to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not your heart turn aside to her ways;
do not stray into her paths,
26 for many a victim has she laid low,
and all her slain are ^za mighty throng.
27 Her house is ^aathe way to Sheol,
going down to the chambers of death.