1  My son, keep my words

and ^ptreasure up my commandments with you;

2  ^qkeep my commandments ^rand live;

keep my teaching as ^sthe apple of your eye;

3  ^tbind them on your fingers;

write them on the tablet of your heart.

4  Say to wisdom, “You are ^umy sister,”

and call insight your intimate friend,

5  ^vto keep you from the forbidden¹ woman,

from the adulteress² with her smooth words.

6  For at the window of my house

I have looked out through my lattice,

7  and I have seen among the simple,

I have perceived among the youths,

a young man lacking sense,

8  passing along the street near her corner,

taking the road to ^wher house

9  in the ^xtwilight, in the evening,

at the time of night and darkness.

10  And behold, the woman meets him,

dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.³

11  She is ^yloud and wayward;

her feet do not stay at home;

12  now in the street, now in the market,

and at every corner ^zshe lies in wait.

13  ^aShe seizes him and kisses him,

and with bold face she says to him,

14  “I had to offer ^bsacrifices,⁴

and today I have paid my vows;

15  so now I have come out to meet you,

to seek you eagerly, and I have found you.

16  I have spread my couch with coverings,

colored linens from Egyptian ^clinen;

17  I have ^dperfumed my bed with myrrh,

aloes, and cinnamon.

18  Come, let us take our ^efill of love till morning;

let us delight ourselves with love.

19  For ^fmy husband is not at home;

he has gone on a long journey;

20  he took a bag of money with him;

at full moon he will come home.”