1My son, perceive thou my wisdom, and bow down thine ear to my prudence;

2that thou keep thy thoughts, and thy lips keep teaching.

3Give thou not attention to the falseness of a woman; for the lips of an whore be an honeycomb dropping, and her throat is clearer than oil;

4but the last things [of her]be bitter as wormwood, and her tongue is sharp as a sword carving, or cutting, on each side.

5Her feet go down into death; and her steps pierce to hells [or to hell].

6Those [or they] go not by the path of life; her steps be uncertain, and may not be sought out.

7Now therefore, my son, hear thou me, and go thou not away from the words of my mouth.

8Make far thy way from her, and nigh thou not to the doors of her house.

9Give thou not thine honour to aliens, and thy years to the cruel;

10lest peradventure strangers be filled with thy strengths, and lest thy travails be in an alien’s house;

11and thou bewail in the last days, when thou hast wasted thy flesh, and thy body;

12and say, Why loathed I teaching, and mine heart assented not to blamings;

13neither I heard the voice of men teaching me, and I bowed not down mine ear to masters?

14Almost I was in all-evil, in the midst of the church, and of the synagogue.

15Drink thou water of thy cistern, and the floods of thy well.

16Thy wells be streamed forth; and part thy waters in streets.

17Have thou alone them [or them alone]; and aliens be not thy partners.

18Thy vein be blessed; and be thou glad with the woman of thy young waxing age.

19An hind most dearworthy; and an hart calf most acceptable. Her teats fill thee in all time; and delight thou continually in the love of her.

20My son, why art thou deceived of an alien woman; and art fostered in the bosom of another?

21The Lord seeth the ways of a man; and he beholdeth all his steps.

22The wickednesses of a wicked man take him; and he is bound with the ropes of his sins.

23He shall die, for he had not learning, and he shall be deceived in the muchliness of his folly.