7
1 Beni (my son), be shomer over my words,
and treasure up my mitzvot with thee.
2 Be shomer over my mitzvot, and live,
and over my torah as the apple of thine eye.
3 Bind them upon thy fingers,
write them upon the luach (tablet) of thine lev.
4 Say unto chochmah, Thou art my achot;
and call binah (understanding) thy kinsman;
5 That they may be shomer over thee and keep thee from the zarah,
from the nokhriyah with her smooth words.
6 For at the chalon (window) of my bais
I looked through my lattice,
7 And beheld among the simple ones,
I discerned among the banim,
a na'ar (young man) devoid of lev,*
8 Passing through the street near her corner;
and he went on the derech to her bais,
9 In the twilight, at erev,
in the black and dark lailah;
10 And, 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;
12 Now is she without, now in the rechovot,
and lurketh in wait at every pinnah (corner) —
13 So she caught hold of him, and kissed him,
and with a brazen ponem said unto him,
14 I have zivkhei shelamim vowed;
this yom have I payed my neder.
15 Al ken (therefore) came I forth to meet thee,
diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.
16 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry,
with a bedspread of fine linen of Mitzrayim.
17 I have perfumed my mishkav (bed)
with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of dodim (loves) until boker;
let us delight ourselves with ahavim (loves).†
19 For the ish (man),‡ is not b'bais,
he is gone a derech merachok (distant journey);
20 He hath taken a bag of kesef with him,
and will come back to his bais at the appointed time.
21 By her enticing speech she caused him to yield,
with the smoothness of her sfatayim she seduced him.
22 He 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;
23 Till 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).
24 Pay heed unto me now therefore, O ye banim,
and attend to the words of my peh (mouth).
25 Let not thine lev turn aside to her drakhim;
go not astray in her netivot (trodden paths).
26 For she hath cast down many chalalim (wounded);
indeed, many strong men have been slain by her.
27 Her bais is the drakhei Sheol,
going down to the chadarim (chambers, rooms) of mavet (death).§
* 7:7 of understanding, sense † 7:18 pl. of intensity ‡ 7:19 i.e., husband § 7:27 T.N. The off-stage character here in chapter 7 has been the cuckold. Because of her Ba'al affair, Hashem became the cuckold of Israel even as Hosea became the cuckold of Gomer.