5:1 My son, attend unto my wisdom; Incline thine ear to my understanding:
5:1 My son, give attention to my wisdom, Incline your ear to my understanding;

5:2 That thou mayest preserve discretion, And that thy lips may keep knowledge.
5:2 That you may observe discretion, And your lips may reserve knowledge.

5:3 For the lips of a strange woman drop honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil:
5:3 For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, And smoother than oil is her speech;

5:4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword.
5:4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword.

5:5 Her feet go down to death; Her steps take hold on Sheol;
5:5 Her feet go down to death, Her steps lay hold of Sheol.

5:6 So that she findeth not the level path of life: Her ways are unstable, (and) she knoweth (it) not.
5:6 She does not ponder the path of life; Her ways are unstable, she does not know [it].

5:7 Now therefore, (my) sons, hearken unto me, And depart not from the words of my mouth.
5:7 Now then, [my] sons, listen to me, And do not depart from the words of my mouth.

5:8 Remove thy way far from her, And come not nigh the door of her house;
5:8 Keep your way far from her, And do not go near the door of her house,

5:9 Lest thou give thine honor unto others, And thy years unto the cruel;
5:9 Lest you give your vigor to others, And your years to the cruel one;

5:10 Lest strangers be filled with thy strength, And thy labors (be) in the house of an alien,
5:10 Lest strangers be filled with your strength, And your hard-earned goods [go] to the house of an alien;

5:11 And thou mourn at thy latter end, When thy flesh and thy body are consumed,
5:11 And you groan at your latter end, When your flesh and your body are consumed;

5:12 And say, How have I hated instruction, And my heart despised reproof;
5:12 And you say, "How I have hated instruction! And my heart spurned reproof!

5:13 Neither have I obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!
5:13 "And I have not listened to the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined my ear to my instructors!

5:14 I was well-nigh in all evil In the midst of the assembly and congregation.
5:14 "I was almost in utter ruin In the midst of the assembly and congregation."

5:15 Drink waters out of thine own cistern, And running waters out of thine own well.
5:15 Drink water from your own cistern, And fresh water from your own well.

5:16 Should thy springs be dispersed abroad, And streams of water in the streets?
5:16 Should your springs be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets?

5:17 Let them be for thyself alone, And not for strangers with thee.
5:17 Let them be yours alone, And not for strangers with you.

5:18 Let thy fountain be blessed; And rejoice in the wife of thy youth.
5:18 Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice in the wife of your youth.

5:19 (As) a loving hind and a pleasant doe, Let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; And be thou ravished always with her love.
5:19 [As] a loving hind and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; Be exhilarated always with her love.

5:20 For why shouldest thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, And embrace the bosom of a foreigner?
5:20 For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an adulteress, And embrace the bosom of a foreigner?

5:21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of Jehovah; And he maketh level all his paths.
5:21 For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He watches all his paths.

5:22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked, And he shall be holden with the cords of his sin.
5:22 His own iniquities will capture the wicked, And he will be held with the cords of his sin.

5:23 He shall die for lack of instruction; And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
5:23 He will die for lack of instruction, And in the greatness of his folly he will go astray.