1Beni (my son), be shomer over my words,
and treasure up my mitzvot with thee.

2Be shomer over my mitzvot, and live,
and over my torah as the apple of thine eye.

3Bind them upon thy fingers,
write them upon the luach (tablet) of thine lev.

4Say unto chochmah, Thou art my achot;
and call binah (understanding) thy kinsman;

5That they may be shomer over thee and keep thee from the zarah,
from the nokhriyah with her smooth words.

6For at the chalon (window) of my bais
I looked through my lattice,

7And beheld among the simple ones,
I discerned among the banim,
a na'ar (young man) devoid of lev, ⁹

8Passing through the street near her corner;
and he went on the derech to her bais,

9In the twilight, at erev,
in the black and dark lailah;

10And, hinei, there met him an isha
with the attire of a zonah,
and crafty of lev

11— She is loud and soreret (rebellious, defiant);
her raglayim abide not in her bais;

12Now is she without, now in the rechovot,
and lurketh in wait at every pinnah (corner) —

13So she caught hold of him, and kissed him,
and with a brazen ponem said unto him,

14I have zivkhei shelamim vowed;
this yom have I payed my neder.

15Al ken (therefore) came I forth to meet thee,
diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.

16I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry,
with a bedspread of fine linen of Mitzrayim.

17I have perfumed my mishkav (bed)
with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

18Come, let us take our fill of dodim (loves) until boker;
let us delight ourselves with ahavim (loves). ¹⁰

19For the ish (man), ¹¹is not b'bais,
he is gone a derech merachok (distant journey);

20He hath taken a bag of kesef with him,
and will come back to his bais at the appointed time.

21By her enticing speech she caused him to yield,
with the smoothness of her sfatayim she seduced him.

22He goeth after her and followeth immediately,
as a shor (ox) goeth to tavach (stock yard, slaughter-house),
or as if bound with fetters to the musar (punishment) of the fool;

23Till a khetz (arrow) strike through his liver;
as a tzippor hasteth to the pach (snare),
and knoweth not that it is for his nefesh (life).

24Pay heed unto me now therefore, O ye banim,
and attend to the words of my peh (mouth).

25Let not thine lev turn aside to her drakhim;
go not astray in her netivot (trodden paths).

26For she hath cast down many chalalim (wounded);
indeed, many strong men have been slain by her.

27Her bais is the drakhei Sheol,
going down to the chadarim (chambers, rooms) of mavet (death). ¹²