1 My son, keep my words,

And lay up my commandments with thee.

2 Keep my commandments and live;

And my law as the apple of thine eye.

3 Bind them upon thy fingers;

Write them upon the tablet of thy heart.

4 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister;

And call understanding thy kinswoman:

5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman,

From the foreigner that flattereth with her words.

6 For at the window of my house

I looked forth through my lattice;

7 And I beheld among the simple ones,

I discerned among the youths,

A young man void of understanding,

8 Passing through the street near her corner;

And he went the way to her house,

9 In the twilight, in the evening of the day,

In the middle of the night and in the darkness.

10 And, behold, there met him a woman

With the attire of a harlot, and wily of heart.

11 (She is clamorous and wilful;

Her feet abide not in her house:

12 Now she is in the streets, now in the broad places,

And lieth in wait at every corner.)

13 So she caught him, and kissed him,

And with an impudent face she said unto him:

14 Sacrifices of peace-offerings are with me;

This day have I paid my vows.

15 Therefore came I forth to meet thee,

Diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.

16 I have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry,

With striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt.

17 I have perfumed my bed

With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning;

Let us solace ourselves with loves.

19 For the man is not at home;

He is gone a long journey:

20 He hath taken a bag of money with him;

He will come home at the full moon.

21 With her much fair speech she causeth him to yield;

With the flattering of her lips she forceth him along.

22 He goeth after her straightway,

As an ox goeth to the slaughter,

Or as one in fetters to the correction of the fool;

23 Till an arrow strike through his liver;

As a bird hasteth to the snare,

And knoweth not that it is for his life.

24 Now therefore, my sons, hearken unto me,

And attend to the words of my mouth.

25 Let not thy heart decline to her ways;

Go not astray in her paths.

26 For she hath cast down many wounded:

Yea, all her slain are a mighty host.

27 Her house is the way to Sheol,

Going down to the chambers of death.

1 E taku tama, puritia aku kupu, huna aku whakahau ki roto ki a koe.

2 Puritia aku whakahau, a ka ora; taku ture, ano ko te whatupango o tou kanohi.

3 Herea ki ou maihao; tuhituhia, ko tou ngakau ano hei papa.

4 Ki atu ki te whakaaro nui, He tuahine koe noku; kiia hoki te matauranga ko tou whanaunga wahine:

5 Kia ai enei hei tiaki i a koe kei he i te wahine ke, i te wahine ke, he korero whakapati nei ana.

6 I titiro atu hoki ahau i te matapihi o toku whare i roto i toku whakakahokaho;

7 A i matakitaki ahau i roto i nga kuware, i kite i roto i nga taitama, i tetahi tamaiti kahore rawa he whakaaro,

8 E haere ana i te ara i te wahi tata e piko atu ai ki a ia, a haere ana ia i te ara ki tona whare.

9 I te kakarauritanga, i te ahiahi o te ra, i te titiwhatanga o te po, i te pouri kerekere.

10 Na, kua tutaki tetahi wahine ki a ia, he kakahu puremu tona, he ngakau hianga.

11 He mangai koroki tona, he tohetohe; ko ona waewae, kahore e tau ki tona whare:

12 Inaianei kei nga ara ia, inamata kei nga waharoa, e tauwhanga ana i nga kokinga katoa.

13 Koia i hopukia ai ia e ia, kei te kihi i a ia, a ka mea atu ki a ia, me te whakatoi ano i tona mata,

14 He patunga mo te pai kei ahau; no tenei ra nei ahau i whakamana ai i aku kupu taurangi;

15 Koia ahau i haere mai ai ki te whakatau i a koe, ki te ata rapu i tou mata, a ka kitea nei koe e ahau.

16 Ko toku moenga kua horahia e ahau, whakapaipai rawa ki te kaitaka, ki nga kakahu purepure no te rinena o Ihipa.

17 Kua ruia e ahau toku moenga ki nga mea whakakakara, ki te maira, ki te aroe, ki te hinamona.

18 Haere mai, kia whaowhina taua ki te aroha, a ao noa; kia ora o taua ngakau i te aroha.

19 Kahore hoki taku tane i te whare: kua riro ia, he haere tawhiti:

20 I maua atu e ia he putea moni i tona ringa; ka hoki mai ano ia i te kowhititanga o te marama.

21 He maha no ana korero whakawai, riro ana ia i a ia ki tana; na te whakapati a ona ngutu ka kumea atu ia e ia.

22 Haere tonu ia i muri i a ia, ano he kau e haere ana kia patua, he kuware ranei e haere ana ki nga rakau here waewae e whiua ai te he;

23 A tu noa te tao ki tona ate puta rawa; rite tonu ia ki te manu e hohoro ana ki te mahanga, te mohio he matenga tera mona.

24 No reira, e aku tamariki, whakarongo ki ahau, maharatia nga kupu a toku mangai.

25 Kei peau ke tou ngakau ki ona ara, kei kotiti ke ki ona huarahi.

26 He tokomaha hoki nga tangata i tu, i hinga i a ia, ae ra, he ope nui rawa tana i patu ai.

27 He huarahi tona whare ki te reinga, e anga ana ki raro ki nga ruma o te mate.