20  My son, keep your ^zfather’s commandment,

and ^aforsake not ^byour mother’s teaching.

21  ^cBind them on your heart always;

tie them around your neck.

22  ^dWhen you walk, they¹ will lead you;

when you lie down, they will watch over you;

and when you awake, they will talk with you.

23  For the commandment is a ^elamp and the teaching a light,

and the ^freproofs of ^gdiscipline are the way of life,

24  ^hto preserve you from the evil woman,²

from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.³

25  Do not desire her beauty in your heart,

and do not let her capture you ⁱwith her eyelashes;

26  for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread,⁴

but a married woman⁵ hunts down a precious life.

27  Can a man carry ^jfire next to his chest

and his clothes not be burned?

28  Or can one walk on hot coals

and his feet not be scorched?

29  So is he who goes in to ^khis neighbor’s wife;

none who touches her will go unpunished.

30  People do not despise a thief if he steals

to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry,

31  but ^lif he is caught, he will pay ^msevenfold;

he will give all the goods of his house.

32  He who ⁿcommits adultery lacks sense;

he who does it destroys himself.

33  He will get wounds and dishonor,

and his disgrace will not be wiped away.

34  For ^ojealousy makes a man furious,

and he will not spare when he takes revenge.

35  He will accept no compensation;

he will refuse though you multiply gifts.