1. My son, keep my words, and hold together my teachings within you.
2. Keep my words and live. Keep my teachings as you would your own eye.
3. Tie them upon your fingers. Write them upon your heart.
4. Say to wisdom, "You are my sister." Call understanding your special friend.
5. They will keep you from the strange woman, from the stranger with her smooth words.
6. For I looked out through the wood-work at the window of my house.
7. And I saw among the childlike and among the young people a young man without wisdom and understanding.
8. He passed through the street near her corner and took the path to her house,
9. in the light of the evening, after it was dark.
10. See, a woman comes to meet him. She is dressed like a woman who sells the use of her body, and with a heart that wants to fool and trap someone.
11. She is loud and has a strong selfwill. Her feet do not stay at home.
12. She is now in the street, now in the center of town where people gather. She lies in wait at every corner.
13. So she catches him and kisses him. With a hard face she says to him,
14. "It was time for me to give gifts on the altar in worship, and today I have paid what I promised.
15. So I have come out to meet you, to look for you, and I have found you.
16. I have spread my bed with coverings of linen cloth from Egypt.
17. I have perfumed my bed with fine perfumes and spices.
18. Come, let us take our fill of love until morning. Let us make ourselves happy with love.
19. For my husband is not at home. He has gone on a long trip.
20. He has taken a bag of money with him, and he will come home at full moon."
21. She leads him away with her tempting talk. She tempts him with the smooth words of her lips.
22. All at once he follows her, like a bull going to be killed, like a wild animal goes into a trap,
23. until an arrow cuts through him. Like a bird that hurries into the net, he does not know that he will lose his life.
24. So, my sons, listen to me. Listen to the words of my mouth.
25. Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways. Do not turn aside into her paths.
26. For she has hurt many and destroyed many others. She has killed a great number.
27. Her house is the way to hell, going down to the rooms of death.