5:1

בְּנִי לְחָכְמָתִי הַקְשִׁיבָה לִתְבוּנָתִי הַט־אָזְנֶךָ׃

My son, attend unto my wisdom; Incline thine ear to my understanding;

5:2

לִשְׁמֹר מְזִמּוֹת וְדַעַת שְׂפָתֶיךָ יִנְצֹרוּ׃

That thou mayest preserve discretion, And that thy lips may keep knowledge.

5:3

כִּי נֹפֶת תִּטֹּפְנָה שִׂפְתֵי זָרָה וְחָלָק מִשֶּׁמֶן חִכָּהּ׃

For the lips of a strange woman drop honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil;

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5:4

וְאַחֲרִיתָהּ מָרָה כַלַּעֲנָה חַדָּה כְּחֶרֶב פִּיּוֹת׃

But her end is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword.

5:5

רַגְלֶיהָ יֹרְדוֹת מָוֶת שְׁאוֹל צְעָדֶיהָ יִתְמֹכוּ׃

Her feet go down to death; Her steps take hold on the nether-world;

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5:6

אֹרַח חַיִּים פֶּן־תְּפַלֵּס נָעוּ מַעְגְּלֹתֶיהָ לֹא תֵדָע׃

Lest she should walk the even path of life, Her ways wander, but she knoweth it not.

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5:7

וְעַתָּה בָנִים שִׁמְעוּ־לִי וְאַל־תָּסוּרוּ מֵאִמְרֵי־פִי׃

Now therefore, O ye children, hearken unto me, And depart not from the words of my mouth.

5:8

הַרְחֵק מֵעָלֶיהָ דַרְכֶּךָ וְאַל־תִּקְרַב אֶל־פֶּתַח בֵּיתָהּ׃

Remove thy way far from her, And come not nigh the door of her house;

5:9

פֶּן־תִּתֵּן לַאֲחֵרִים הוֹדֶךָ וּשְׁנֹתֶיךָ לְאַכְזָרִי׃

Lest thou give thy vigour unto others, And thy years unto the cruel;

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5:10

פֶּן־יִשְׂבְּעוּ זָרִים כֹּחֶךָ וַעֲצָבֶיךָ בְּבֵית נָכְרִי׃

Lest strangers be filled with thy strength, And thy labours be in the house of an alien;

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5:11

וְנָהַמְתָּ בְאַחֲרִיתֶךָ בִּכְלוֹת בְּשָׂרְךָ וּשְׁאֵרֶךָ׃

And thou moan, when thine end cometh, When thy flesh and thy body are consumed,

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5:12

וְאָמַרְתָּ אֵיךְ שָׂנֵאתִי מוּסָר וְתוֹכַחַת נָאַץ לִבִּי׃

And say: ‘How have I hated instruction, And my heart despised reproof;

5:13

וְלֹא־שָׁמַעְתִּי בְּקוֹל מוֹרָי וְלִמְלַמְּדַי לֹא־הִטִּיתִי אָזְנִי׃

Neither have I hearkened to the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!

5:14

כִּמְעַט הָיִיתִי בְכָל־רָע בְּתוֹךְ קָהָל וְעֵדָה׃

I was well nigh in all evil In the midst of the congregation and assembly.’

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5:15

שְׁתֵה־מַיִם מִבּוֹרֶךָ וְנֹזְלִים מִתּוֹךְ בְּאֵרֶךָ׃

Drink waters out of thine own cistern, And running waters out of thine own well.

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5:16

יָפוּצוּ מַעְיְנֹתֶיךָ חוּצָה בָּרְחֹבוֹת פַּלְגֵי־מָיִם׃

Let thy springs be dispersed abroad, And courses of water in the streets.

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5:17

יִהְיוּ־לְךָ לְבַדֶּךָ וְאֵין לְזָרִים אִתָּךְ׃

Let them be only thine own, And not strangers’with thee.

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5:18

יְהִי־מְקוֹרְךָ בָרוּךְ וּשְׂמַח מֵאֵשֶׁת נְעוּרֶךָ׃

Let thy fountain be blessed; And have joy of the wife of thy youth.

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5:19

אַיֶּלֶת אֲהָבִים וְיַעֲלַת־חֵן דַּדֶּיהָ יְרַוֻּךָ בְכָל־עֵת בְּאַהֲבָתָהּ תִּשְׁגֶּה תָמִיד׃

A lovely hind and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; With her love be thou ravished always.

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5:20

וְלָמָּה תִשְׁגֶּה בְנִי בְזָרָה וּתְחַבֵּק חֵק נָכְרִיָּה׃

Why then wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, And embrace the bosom of an alien?

5:21

כִּי נֹכַח עֵינֵי יְהוָה דַּרְכֵי־אִישׁ וְכָל־מַעְגְּלֹתָיו מְפַלֵּס׃

For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He maketh even all his paths.

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5:22

עַווֹנוֹתָיו יִלְכְּדֻנוֹ אֶת־הָרָשָׁע וּבְחַבְלֵי חַטָּאתוֹ יִתָּמֵךְ׃

His own iniquities shall ensnare the wicked, And he shall be holden with the cords of his sin.

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5:23

הוּא יָמוּת בְּאֵין מוּסָר וּבְרֹב אִוַּלְתּוֹ יִשְׁגֶּה׃

He shall die for lack of instruction; And in the greatness of his folly he shall reel.

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