5:1  My son, pay attention to my wisdom. Turn your ear to my understanding:

5:2  That you may maintain discretion, That your lips may preserve knowledge.

5:3  For the lips of an adulteress drip honey. Her mouth is smoother than oil,

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

5:5  Her feet go down to death. Her steps lead straight to Sheol.

5:6  She gives no thought to the way of life. Her ways are crooked, and she doesn't know it.

5:7  Now therefore, my sons, listen to me. Don't depart from the words of my mouth.

5:8  Remove your way far from her. Don't come near the door of her house,

5:9  Lest you give your honor to others, And your years to the cruel one;

5:10  Lest strangers feast on your wealth, And your labors enrich another man's house.

5:11  You will groan at your latter end, When your flesh and your body are consumed,

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

5:13  Neither have I obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor turned my ear to those who instructed me!

5:14  I have come to the brink of utter ruin, In the midst of the gathered assembly."

5:15  Drink water out of your own cistern, Running water out of your own well.

5:16  Should your springs overflow in the streets, Streams of water in the public squares?

5:17  Let them be for yourself alone, Not for strangers with you.

5:18  Let your spring be blessed. Rejoice in the wife of your youth.

5:19  A loving doe and a graceful deer-- Let her breasts satisfy you at all times. Be captivated always with her love.

5:20  For why should you, my son, be captivated with an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another?

5:21  For the ways of man are before the eyes of Yahweh. He examines all his paths.

5:22  The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare him. The cords of his sin hold him firmly.

5:23  He will die for lack of instruction. In the greatness of his folly, he will go astray.