21 She seduces him with her persistent pleading;
she lures with her flattering[a] talk.
22 He follows her impulsively
like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer bounding toward a trap[b]
23 until an arrow pierces its[c] liver,(A)
like a bird darting into a snare(B)
he doesn’t know it will cost him his life.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 7:21 Lit smooth
  2. Proverbs 7:22 Text emended; MT reads like a shackle to the discipline of a fool; Hb obscure
  3. Proverbs 7:23 Or his

21 With persuasive words she led him astray;
    she seduced him with her smooth talk.(A)
22 All at once he followed her
    like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer[a] stepping into a noose[b](B)
23     till an arrow pierces(C) his liver,
like a bird darting into a snare,
    little knowing it will cost him his life.(D)

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 7:22 Syriac (see also Septuagint); Hebrew fool
  2. Proverbs 7:22 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.