1 My son, be attentive to my wisdom [godly wisdom learned by costly experience],
Incline your ear to my understanding;
2
That you may exercise discrimination and discretion (good judgment),
And your lips may reserve knowledge and answer wisely [to temptation].
3
For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey [like a honeycomb]
And her speech is smoother than oil;
4
But in the end she is bitter like [the extract of] wormwood,
Sharp as a two-edged sword.
5
Her feet go down to death;
Her steps take hold of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead),
6
So that she does not think [seriously] about the path of life;
Her ways are aimless and unstable; you cannot know where her path leads.
7
Now then, my sons, listen to me
And do not depart from (forget) the words of my mouth.
8
Let your way [in life] be far from her,
And do not go near the door of her house [avoid even being near the places of temptation],
9
Or you will give your honor to others,
And your years to the cruel one,
10
And strangers will be filled with your strength
And your hard-earned wealth will go to the house of a foreigner [who does not know God];
11
And you will groan when your life is ending,
When your flesh and your body are consumed;
12
And you say, “How I hated instruction and discipline,
And my heart despised correction and reproof!
13
“I have not listened to the voice of my teachers,
Nor have I inclined my ear to those who instructed me.
14
“I was almost in total ruin
In the midst of the assembly and congregation.”
15
Drink water from your own cistern [of a pure marriage relationship]
And fresh running water from your own well.
16
Should your springs (children) be dispersed,
As streams of water in the streets?
17
[Confine yourself to your own wife.] Let your children be yours alone,
And not the children of strangers with you.
18
Let your fountain (wife) be blessed [with the rewards of fidelity],
And rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19
Let her be as a loving hind and graceful doe,
Let her breasts refresh and satisfy you at all times;
Always be exhilarated and delight in her love.
20
Why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an immoral woman
And embrace the bosom of an outsider (pagan)?
21
For the ways of man are directly before the eyes of the Lord,
And He carefully watches all of his paths [all of his comings and goings].
22
The iniquities done by a wicked man will trap him,
And he will be held with the cords of his sin.
23
He will die for lack of instruction (discipline),
And in the greatness of his foolishness he will go astray and be lost.
1 After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife, Priscilla, because [the Roman Emperor] Claudius had issued an edict that all the Jews were to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3 and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them; and they worked together for they were tent-makers. 4 And he reasoned and debated in the synagogue every Sabbath, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks;
5 but when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia (northern Greece), Paul began devoting himself completely to [preaching] the word, and solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed). 6 But since the Jews kept resisting and opposing him, and blaspheming [God], he shook out his robe and said to them, “Your blood (damnation) be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” 7 Then he moved on from there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, who worshiped God and whose house was next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord together with his entire household [joyfully acknowledging Him as Messiah and Savior]; and many of the Corinthians who heard [Paul’s message] were believing and being baptized. 9 One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, “Do not be afraid anymore, but go on speaking and do not be silent; 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you in order to hurt you, because I have many people in this city.” 11 So he settled there for a year and six months, teaching them the word of God [concerning eternal salvation through faith in Christ].
12 But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia (southern Greece), the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the judgment seat, 13 declaring, “This man is persuading people to worship God in violation of the law [of Moses].” 14 But when Paul was about to reply, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of some misdemeanor or serious crime, O Jews, I would have reason to put up with you; 15 but since it is merely a question [of doctrine within your religion] about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves; I am unwilling to judge these matters.” 16 And he drove them away from the judgment seat. 17 Then the Greeks all seized Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and began beating him right in front of the judgment seat; but Gallio paid no attention to any of this.
18 Paul stayed for a while longer, and then told the brothers and sisters goodbye and sailed for Syria; and he was accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchrea [the southeastern port of Corinth] he had his hair cut, because he was keeping a [Nazirite] vow [of abstention]. 19 Then they arrived in Ephesus, and he left the others there; but he entered the synagogue and reasoned and debated with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to stay for a longer time, he refused; 21 but after telling them goodbye and saying, “I will return again if God is willing,” he set sail from Ephesus.
22 When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church [at Jerusalem], and then went down to Antioch.
23 After spending some time there, he left and traveled through the territory of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening and encouraging all the disciples.
24 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent and cultured man, and well versed in the [Hebrew] Scriptures. 25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and being spiritually impassioned, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things about Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John; 26 and he began to speak boldly and fearlessly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained more accurately to him the way of God [and the full story of the life of Christ]. 27 And when Apollos wanted to go across to Achaia (southern Greece), the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples, [urging them] to welcome him gladly. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who, through grace, had believed and had followed Jesus as Lord and Savior, 28 for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public discussions, proving by the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed).