Skip to main content

Proverbs chapter 7 in Hebrew and English

27 verses, about 2 minutes to read aloud. The Hebrew has its vowel points and the English stands under each verse.

The whole chapter is here, a verse to a line.

בְּנִי שְׁמֹר אֲמָרָי וּמִצְוֺתַי תִּצְפֹּן אִתָּֽךְ׃

My son, keep my words, And lay up my commandments with thee.

שְׁמֹר מִצְוֺתַי וֶחְיֵה וְתוֹרָתִי כְּאִישׁוֹן עֵינֶֽיךָ׃

Keep my commandments and live, And my teaching as the apple of thine eye.

קָשְׁרֵם עַל־אֶצְבְּעֹתֶיךָ כָּתְבֵם עַל־לוּחַ לִבֶּֽךָ׃

Bind them upon thy fingers, Write them upon the table of thy heart.

אֱמֹר לַחָכְמָה אֲחֹתִי אָתְּ וּמֹדָע לַבִּינָה תִקְרָֽא׃

Say unto wisdom: ‘Thou art my sister’, And call understanding thy kinswoman;

לִשְׁמָרְךָ מֵאִשָּׁה זָרָה מִנָּכְרִיָּה אֲמָרֶיהָ הֶחֱלִֽיקָה׃

That they may keep thee from the strange woman, From the alien woman that maketh smooth her words.

כִּי בְּחַלּוֹן בֵּיתִי בְּעַד אֶשְׁנַבִּי נִשְׁקָֽפְתִּי׃

For at the window of my house I looked forth through my lattice;

וָאֵרֶא בַפְּתָאיִם אָבִינָה בַבָּנִים נַעַר חֲסַר־לֵֽב׃

And I beheld among the thoughtless ones, I discerned among the youths, A young man void of understanding,

עֹבֵר בַּשּׁוּק אֵצֶל פִּנָּהּ וְדֶרֶךְ בֵּיתָהּ יִצְעָֽד׃

Passing through the street near her corner, And he went the way to her house;

בְּנֶשֶׁף־בְּעֶרֶב יוֹם בְּאִישׁוֹן לַיְלָה וַאֲפֵלָֽה׃

In the twilight, in the evening of the day, In the blackness of night and the darkness.

וְהִנֵּה אִשָּׁה לִקְרָאתוֹ שִׁית זוֹנָה וּנְצֻרַת לֵֽב׃

And, behold, there met him a woman With the attire of a harlot, and wily of heart.

הֹמִיָּה הִיא וְסֹרָרֶת בְּבֵיתָהּ לֹא־יִשְׁכְּנוּ רַגְלֶֽיהָ׃

She is riotous and rebellious, Her feet abide not in her house;

פַּעַם בַּחוּץ פַּעַם בָּרְחֹבוֹת וְאֵצֶל כָּל־פִּנָּה תֶאֱרֹֽב׃

Now she is in the streets, now in the broad places, And lieth in wait at every corner.

וְהֶחֱזִיקָה־בּוֹ וְנָשְׁקָה־לּוֹ הֵעֵזָה פָנֶיהָ וַתֹּאמַר לֽוֹ׃

So she caught him, and kissed him, And with an impudent face she said unto him:

זִבְחֵי שְׁלָמִים עָלָי הַיּוֹם שִׁלַּמְתִּי נְדָרָֽי׃

’Sacrifices of peace-offerings were due from me; This day have I paid my vows.

עַל־כֵּן יָצָאתִי לִקְרָאתֶךָ לְשַׁחֵר פָּנֶיךָ וָאֶמְצָאֶֽךָּ׃

Therefore came I forth to meet thee, To seek thy face, and I have found thee.

מַרְבַדִּים רָבַדְתִּי עַרְשִׂי חֲטֻבוֹת אֵטוּן מִצְרָֽיִם׃

I have decked my couch with coverlets, With striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt.

נַפְתִּי מִשְׁכָּבִי מֹר אֲהָלִים וְקִנָּמֽוֹן׃

I have perfumed my bed With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

לְכָה נִרְוֶה דֹדִים עַד־הַבֹּקֶר נִתְעַלְּסָה בָּאֳהָבִֽים׃

Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning; Let us solace ourselves with loves.

כִּי אֵין הָאִישׁ בְּבֵיתוֹ הָלַךְ בְּדֶרֶךְ מֵרָחֽוֹק׃

For my husband is not at home, He is gone a long journey;

צְרוֹר־הַכֶּסֶף לָקַח בְּיָדוֹ לְיוֹם הַכֵּסֶא יָבֹא בֵיתֽוֹ׃

He hath taken the bag of money with him; He will come home at the full moon.’

הִטַּתּוּ בְּרֹב לִקְחָהּ בְּחֵלֶק שְׂפָתֶיהָ תַּדִּיחֶֽנּוּ׃

With her much fair speech she causeth him to yield, With the blandishment of her lips she enticeth him away.

הוֹלֵךְ אַחֲרֶיהָ פִּתְאֹם כְּשׁוֹר אֶל־טֶבַח יָבוֹא וּכְעֶכֶס אֶל־מוּסַר אֱוִֽיל׃

He goeth after her straightway, As an ox that goeth to the slaughter, Or as one in fetters to the correction of the fool;

עַד יְפַלַּח חֵץ כְּבֵדוֹ כְּמַהֵר צִפּוֹר אֶל־פָּח וְלֹא־יָדַע כִּי־בְנַפְשׁוֹ הֽוּא׃

Till an arrow strike through his liver; As a bird hasteneth to the snare - And knoweth not that it is at the cost of his life.

וְעַתָּה בָנִים שִׁמְעוּ־לִי וְהַקְשִׁיבוּ לְאִמְרֵי־פִֽי׃

Now therefore, O ye children, hearken unto me, And attend to the words of my mouth.

אַל־יֵשְׂטְ אֶל־דְּרָכֶיהָ לִבֶּךָ אַל־תֵּתַע בִּנְתִיבוֹתֶֽיהָ׃

Let not thy heart decline to her ways, Go not astray in her paths.

כִּי־רַבִּים חֲלָלִים הִפִּילָה וַעֲצֻמִים כָּל־הֲרֻגֶֽיהָ׃

For she hath cast down many wounded; Yea, a mighty host are all her slain.

דַּרְכֵי שְׁאוֹל בֵּיתָהּ יֹרְדוֹת אֶל־חַדְרֵי־מָֽוֶת׃

Her house is the way to the nether-world, Going down to the chambers of death.

The Hebrew is the Leningrad Codex, free to view and copy, compared letter by letter with a second edition, Miqra according to the Masorah, under the CC BY-SA licence. The English is the Jewish Publication Society translation of 1917, in the public domain.

Where this chapter stands in the Tanakh.

  • Chapter 7 of the 31 chapters of Proverbs
  • Proverbs is one of the Writings
  • 27 verses, 193 words, about 2 minutes to read

Proverbs has 31 chapters, and each one has its own page.

All of Proverbs·All the books of the Tanakh·Psalms and prayers

Questions about this chapter

How many verses does Proverbs chapter 7 have?

Proverbs chapter 7 has 27 verses and 193 words.

How does Proverbs chapter 7 begin?

The first verse begins in Hebrew with the words בני שמר אמרי ומצותי.

Where does Proverbs chapter 7 stand in the Tanakh?

It is chapter 7 of the 31 chapters of Proverbs, which is one of the Writings.

How long does it take to read Proverbs chapter 7?

About 2 minutes, at a steady pace.