Proverbs Chapter 5
King James Version (KJV)
Other Translations
asv (asv) - eBible.org engASV USFM
1
My son, forget not my law;
2
But let thy heart keep my commandments:
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For length of days, and years of life,
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And peace, will they add to thee.
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Let not kindness and truth forsake thee:
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Bind them about thy neck;
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Write them upon the tablet of thy heart:
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So shalt thou find favor and good understanding
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In the sight of God and man.
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Trust in Jehovah with all thy heart,
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And lean not upon thine own understanding:
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In all thy ways acknowledge him,
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And he will direct thy paths.
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Be not wise in thine own eyes;
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Fear Jehovah, and depart from evil:
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It will be health to thy navel,
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And marrow to thy bones.
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Honor Jehovah with thy substance,
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And with the first-fruits of all thine increase:
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So shall thy barns be filled with plenty,
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And thy vats shall overflow with new wine.
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My son, despise not the chastening of Jehovah;
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Neither be weary of his reproof:
darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext
1
My son, attend unto my wisdom, incline thine ear to my understanding;
2
that thou mayest keep reflection, and that thy lips may preserve knowledge.
3
For the lips of the strange woman drop honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil;
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but her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
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Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on Sheol.
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Lest she should ponder the path of life, her ways wander, she knoweth not [whither].
7
And now, children, hearken unto me, and depart not from the words of my mouth.
8
Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:
9
lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel;
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lest strangers be filled with thy wealth, and the fruits of thy toil [come] into the house of a stranger;
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and thou mourn in thine end, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed;
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and thou say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof!
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and I have not hearkened unto the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to those that instructed me;
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I was well nigh in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.
15
Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.
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Thy fountains shall be poured forth, as water-brooks in the broadways.
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Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee.
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Let thy fountain be blessed; and have joy of the wife of thy youth.
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As a lovely hind and a graceful roe, let her breasts satisfy thee at all times: be thou ravished continually with her love.
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And why shouldest thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?
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For the ways of man are before the eyes of Jehovah, and he pondereth all his paths.
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His own iniquities shall take the wicked, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sin.
23
He shall die for want of discipline; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM
1
[My] son, attend to my wisdom, and apply thine ear to my words;
2
that thou mayest keep good understanding, and the discretion of my lips gives thee a charge. Give no heed to a worthless woman;
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for honey drops from the lips of a harlot, who for a season pleases thy palate:
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but afterwards thou wilt find her more bitter than gall, and sharper than a two-edged sword.
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For the feet of folly lead those who deal with her down to the grave with death; and her steps are not established.
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For she goes not upon the paths of life; but her ways are slippery, and not easily known.
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Now then, [my] son, hear me, and make not my words of none effect.
8
Remove thy way far from her; draw not near to the doors of her house:
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lest thou give away thy life to others, and thy substance to the merciless:
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lest strangers be filled with thy strength, and thy labours come into the houses of strangers;
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and thou repent at last, when the flesh of thy body is consumed,
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and thou shalt say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart avoided reproofs!
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I heard not the voice of him that instructed me, and taught me, neither did I apply mine ear.
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I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.
15
Drink waters out of thine own vessels, and out of thine own springing wells.
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Let not waters out of thy fountain be spilt by thee, but let thy waters go into thy streets.
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Let them be only thine own, and let no stranger partake with thee.
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Let thy fountain of water be [truly] thine own; and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.
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Let [thy] loving hart and thy graceful colt company with thee, and let her be considered thine own, and be with thee at all times; for ravished with her love thou shalt be greatly increased.
20
Be not intimate with a strange woman, neither fold thyself in the arms of a woman not thine own.
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For the ways of a man are before the eyes of God, and he looks on all his paths.
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Iniquities ensnare a man, and every one is bound in the chains of his own sins.
23
Such a man dies with the uninstructed; and he is cast forth from the abundance of his own substance, and has perished through folly.
vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)
1
Fili mi, attende ad sapientiam meam, et prudentiæ meæ inclina aurem tuam,
2
ut custodias cogitationes, et disciplinam labia tua conservent. Ne attendas fallaciæ mulieris.
3
favus enim distillans labia meretricis, et nitidius oleo guttur eius.
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novissima autem illius amara quasi absinthium, et acuta quasi gladius biceps.
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Pedes eius descendunt in mortem, et ad inferos gressus illius penetrant.
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Per semitam vitæ non ambulant, vagi sunt gressus eius, et investigabiles.
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Nunc ergo fili mi audi me, et ne recedas a verbis oris mei.
8
Longe fac ab ea viam tuam, et ne appropinques foribus domus eius.
9
Ne des alienis honorem tuum, et annos tuos crudeli.
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ne forte implentur extranei viribus tuis, et labores tui sint in domo aliena,
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et gemas in novissimis, quando consumseris carnes tuas et corpus tuum, et dicas:
12
Cur detestatus sum disciplinam, et increpationibus non acquievit cor meum,
13
nec audivi vocem docentium me, et magistris non inclinavi aurem meam?
14
Pene fui in omni malo, in medio ecclesiæ et synagogæ.
15
Bibe aquam de cisterna tua, et fluenta putei tui:
16
Deriventur fontes tui foras, et in plateis aquas tuas divide.
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Habeto eas solus, nec sint alieni participes tui.
18
Sit vena tua benedicta, et lætare cum muliere adolescentiæ tuæ:
19
cerva charissima, et gratissimus hinnulus. ubera eius inebrient te in omni tempore, in amore eius delectare iugiter.
20
Quare seduceris fili mi ab aliena, et foveris in sinu alterius?
21
Respicit Dominus vias hominis, et omnes gressus eius considerat.
22
Iniquitates suas capiunt impium, et funibus peccatorum suorum constringitur.
23
Ipse morietur, quia non habuit disciplinam, et in multitudine stultitiæ suæ decipietur.
web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV
1
My son, pay attention to my wisdom. Turn your ear to my understanding,
2
that you may maintain discretion, that your lips may preserve knowledge.
3
For the lips of an adulteress drip honey. Her mouth is smoother than oil,
4
but in the end she is as bitter as wormwood, and as sharp as a two-edged sword.
5
Her feet go down to death. Her steps lead straight to Sheol.
6
She gives no thought to the way of life. Her ways are crooked, and she doesn’t know it.
7
Now therefore, my sons, listen to me. Don’t depart from the words of my mouth.
8
Remove your way far from her. Don’t come near the door of her house,
9
lest you give your honor to others, and your years to the cruel one;
10
lest strangers feast on your wealth, and your labors enrich another man’s house.
11
You will groan at your latter end, when your flesh and your body are consumed,
12
and say, “How I have hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof.
13
I haven’t obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor turned my ear to those who instructed me!
14
I have come to the brink of utter ruin, among the gathered assembly.”
15
Drink water out of your own cistern, running water out of your own well.
16
Should your springs overflow in the streets, streams of water in the public squares?
17
Let them be for yourself alone, not for strangers with you.
18
Let your spring be blessed. Rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19
A loving doe and a graceful deer— let her breasts satisfy you at all times. Be captivated always with her love.
20
For why should you, my son, be captivated with an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another?
21
For the ways of man are before the LORD’s eyes. He examines all his paths.
22
The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare him. The cords of his sin hold him firmly.
23
He will die for lack of instruction. In the greatness of his folly, he will go astray.
ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8
1
My son! to my wisdom give attention, To mine understanding incline thine ear,
2
To observe thoughtfulness, And knowledge do thy lips keep.
3
For the lips of a strange woman drop honey, And smoother than oil <FI>is<Fi> her mouth,
4
And her latter end <FI>is<Fi> bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a sword <FI>with<Fi> mouths.
5
Her feet are going down to death, Sheol do her steps take hold of.
6
The path of life--lest thou ponder, Moved have her paths--thou knowest not.
7
And now, ye sons, hearken to me, And turn not from sayings of my mouth.
8
Keep far from off her thy way, And come not near unto the opening of her house,
9
Lest thou give to others thy honour, And thy years to the fierce,
10
Lest strangers be filled <FI>with<Fi> thy power, And thy labours in the house of a stranger,
11
And thou hast howled in thy latter end, In the consumption of thy flesh and thy food,
12
And hast said, `How have I hated instruction, And reproof hath my heart despised,
13
And I have not hearkened to the voice of my directors, And to my teachers have not inclined mine ear.
14
As a little thing I have been all evil, In the midst of an assembly and a company.
15
Drink waters out of thine own cistern, Even flowing ones out of thine own well.
16
Let thy fountains be scattered abroad, In broad places rivulets of waters.
17
Let them be to thee for thyself, And not to strangers with thee.
18
Let thy fountain be blessed, And rejoice because of the wife of thy youth,
19
A hind of loves, and a roe of grace! Let her loves satisfy thee at all times, In her love magnify thyself continually.
20
And why dost thou magnify thyself, My son, with a stranger? And embrace the bosom of a strange woman?
21
For over-against the eyes of Jehovah are the ways of each, And all his paths He is pondering.
22
His own iniquities do capture the wicked, And with the ropes of his sin he is holden.
23
He dieth without instruction, And in the abundance of his folly magnifieth himself!
Explanations by Age Level
Explain Like I'm 5
A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!
Explain Like I'm 10
Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.
Explain Like I'm 15
Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).