New Living Translation

1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom;<br>listen carefully to my wise counsel.<br> 2 Then you will show discernment,<br>and your lips will express what you’ve learned.<br> 3 For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey,<br>and her mouth is smoother than oil.<br> 4 But in the end she is as bitter as poison,<br>as dangerous as a double-edged sword.<br> 5 Her feet go down to death;<br>her steps lead straight to the grave.<br> 6 For she cares nothing about the path to life.<br>She staggers down a crooked trail and doesn’t realize it.<br> 7 So now, my sons, listen to me.<br>Never stray from what I am about to say:<br> 8 Stay away from her!<br>Don’t go near the door of her house!<br> 9 If you do, you will lose your honor<br>and will lose to merciless people all you have achieved.<br> 10 Strangers will consume your wealth,<br>and someone else will enjoy the fruit of your labor.<br> 11 In the end you will groan in anguish<br>when disease consumes your body.<br> 12 You will say, “How I hated discipline!<br>If only I had not ignored all the warnings!<br> 13 Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers?<br>Why didn’t I pay attention to my instructors?<br> 14 I have come to the brink of utter ruin,<br>and now I must face public disgrace.”<br> 15 Drink water from your own well —<br>share your love only with your wife.<br> 16 Why spill the water of your springs in the streets,<br>having sex with just anyone?<br> 17 You should reserve it for yourselves.<br>Never share it with strangers.<br> 18 Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you.<br>Rejoice in the wife of your youth.<br> 19 She is a loving deer, a graceful doe.<br>Let her breasts satisfy you always.<br>May you always be captivated by her love.<br> 20 Why be captivated, my son, by an immoral woman,<br>or fondle the breasts of a promiscuous woman?<br> 21 For the LORD sees clearly what a man does,<br>examining every path he takes.<br> 22 An evil man is held captive by his own sins;<br>they are ropes that catch and hold him.<br> 23 He will die for lack of self-control;<br>he will be lost because of his great foolishness.<br>