7:1

בְּנִי שְׁמֹר אֲמָרָי וּמִצְוֺתַי תִּצְפֹּן אִתָּךְ׃

My son, keep my words, And lay up my commandments with thee.

7:2

שְׁמֹר מִצְוֺתַי וֶחְיֵה וְתוֹרָתִי כְּאִישׁוֹן עֵינֶיךָ׃

Keep my commandments and live, And my teaching as the apple of thine eye.

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7:3

קָשְׁרֵם עַל־אֶצְבְּעֹתֶיךָ כָּתְבֵם עַל־לוּחַ לִבֶּךָ׃

Bind them upon thy fingers, Write them upon the table of thy heart.

7:4

אֱמֹר לַחָכְמָה אֲחֹתִי אָתְּ וּמֹדָע לַבִּינָה תִקְרָא׃

Say unto wisdom: ‘Thou art my sister’, And call understanding thy kinswoman;

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7:5

לִשְׁמָרְךָ מֵאִשָּׁה זָרָה מִנָּכְרִיָּה אֲמָרֶיהָ הֶחֱלִיקָה׃

That they may keep thee from the strange woman, From the alien woman that maketh smooth her words.

7:6

כִּי בְּחַלּוֹן בֵּיתִי בְּעַד אֶשְׁנַבִּי נִשְׁקָפְתִּי׃

For at the window of my house I looked forth through my lattice;

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7:7

וָאֵרֶא בַפְּתָאיִם אָבִינָה בַבָּנִים נַעַר חֲסַר־לֵב׃

And I beheld among the thoughtless ones, I discerned among the youths, A young man void of understanding,

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7:8

עֹבֵר בַּשּׁוּק אֵצֶל פִּנָּהּ וְדֶרֶךְ בֵּיתָהּ יִצְעָד׃

Passing through the street near her corner, And he went the way to her house;

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7:9

בְּנֶשֶׁף־בְּעֶרֶב יוֹם בְּאִישׁוֹן לַיְלָה וַאֲפֵלָה׃

In the twilight, in the evening of the day, In the blackness of night and the darkness.

7:10

וְהִנֵּה אִשָּׁה לִקְרָאתוֹ שִׁית זוֹנָה וּנְצֻרַת לֵב׃

And, behold, there met him a woman With the attire of a harlot, and wily of heart.

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7:11

הֹמִיָּה הִיא וְסֹרָרֶת בְּבֵיתָהּ לֹא־יִשְׁכְּנוּ רַגְלֶיהָ׃

She is riotous and rebellious, Her feet abide not in her house;

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7:12

פַּעַם בַּחוּץ פַּעַם בָּרְחֹבוֹת וְאֵצֶל כָּל־פִּנָּה תֶאֱרֹב׃

Now she is in the streets, now in the broad places, And lieth in wait at every corner.

7:13

וְהֶחֱזִיקָה בּוֹ וְנָשְׁקָה־לּוֹ הֵעֵזָה פָנֶיהָ וַתֹּאמַר לוֹ׃

So she caught him, and kissed him, And with an impudent face she said unto him:

7:14

זִבְחֵי שְׁלָמִים עָלָי הַיּוֹם שִׁלַּמְתִּי נְדָרָי׃

’Sacrifices of peace-offerings were due from me; This day have I paid my vows.

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7:15

עַל־כֵּן יָצָאתִי לִקְרָאתֶךָ לְשַׁחֵר פָּנֶיךָ וָאֶמְצָאֶךָּ׃

Therefore came I forth to meet thee, To seek thy face, and I have found thee.

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7:16

מַרְבַדִּים רָבַדְתִּי עַרְשִׂי חֲטֻבוֹת אֵטוּן מִצְרָיִם׃

I have decked my couch with coverlets, With striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt.

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7:17

נַפְתִּי מִשְׁכָּבִי מֹר אֲהָלִים וְקִנָּמוֹן׃

I have perfumed my bed With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

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7:18

לְכָה נִרְוֶה דֹדִים עַד־הַבֹּקֶר נִתְעַלְּסָה בָּאֳהָבִים׃

Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning; Let us solace ourselves with loves.

7:19

כִּי אֵין הָאִישׁ בְּבֵיתוֹ הָלַךְ בְּדֶרֶךְ מֵרָחוֹק׃

For my husband is not at home, He is gone a long journey;

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7:20

צְרוֹר־הַכֶּסֶף לָקַח בְּיָדוֹ לְיוֹם הַכֵּסֶא יָבֹא בֵיתוֹ׃

He hath taken the bag of money with him; He will come home at the full moon.’

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7:21

הִטַּתּוּ בְּרֹב לִקְחָהּ בְּחֵלֶק שְׂפָתֶיהָ תַּדִּיחֶנּוּ׃

With her much fair speech she causeth him to yield, With the blandishment of her lips she enticeth him away.

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7:22

הוֹלֵךְ אַחֲרֶיהָ פִּתְאֹם כְּשׁוֹר אֶל־טָבַח יָבוֹא וּכְעֶכֶס אֶל־מוּסַר אֱוִיל׃

He goeth after her straightway, As an ox that goeth to the slaughter, Or as one in fetters to the correction of the fool;

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7:23

עַד יְפַלַּח חֵץ כְּבֵדוֹ כְּמַהֵר צִפּוֹר אֶל־פָּח וְלֹא־יָדַע כִּי־בְנַפְשׁוֹ הוּא׃

Till an arrow strike through his liver; As a bird hasteneth to the snare— And knoweth not that it is at the cost of his life.

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7:24

וְעַתָּה בָנִים שִׁמְעוּ־לִי וְהַקְשִׁיבוּ לְאִמְרֵי־פִי׃

Now therefore, O ye children, hearken unto me, And attend to the words of my mouth.

7:25

אַל־יֵשְׂטְ אֶל־דְּרָכֶיהָ לִבֶּךָ אַל־תֵּתַע בִּנְתִיבוֹתֶיהָ׃

Let not thy heart decline to her ways, Go not astray in her paths.

7:26

כִּי־רַבִּים חֲלָלִים הִפִּילָה וַעֲצֻמִים כָּל־הֲרֻגֶיהָ׃

For she hath cast down many wounded; Yea, a mighty host are all her slain.

7:27

דַּרְכֵי שְׁאוֹל בֵּיתָהּ יֹרְדוֹת אֶל־חַדְרֵי־מָוֶת׃

Her house is the way to the nether-world, Going down to the chambers of death.