Chapter 9

1Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn her seven pillars.   אחָכְמוֹת בָּנְתָ֣ה בֵיתָ֑הּ חָצְבָ֖ה עַמּוּדֶ֣יהָ שִׁבְעָֽה:
Wisdom has built her house: With wisdom has the Holy One, blessed be He, built the world.   חכמות בנתה ביתה: בחכמה בנה הקב"ה את העולם:
she has hewn her seven pillars: The seven days of Creation. Another explanation: This refers to the seven books of the Torah, since (Num. 10:35f.) “And it came about when the ark traveled…” is an individual book, as is stated in tractate Shabbath (116a).   חצבה עמודיה שבעה: שבעת ימי בראשית, ד"א ז' ספרים שיש בתורה ויהי בנסוע הארון ספר לעצמו במסכת שבת:
2She has prepared her meat; she has mingled her wine; she has even set her table.   בטָבְחָ֣ה טִ֖בְחָהּ מָסְכָ֣ה יֵינָ֑הּ אַ֜֗ף עָֽרְכָ֥ה שֻׁלְחָנָֽהּ:
She has prepared her meat, she has mingled her wine: She has mixed it with water, like strong wine, that is unfit to drink unmixed.   טבחה טבחה מסכה יינה: מזגם במים כמו יין חזק שאינו ראוי לשתות חי:
she has even set her table: All creations of liquid and solid.   אף ערכה שלחנה: כל יצירת לח ויבש:
3She has sent her maidens, she calls on the wings of the heights of the city,   גשָֽׁלְחָ֣ה נַעֲרֹתֶ֣יהָ תִקְרָ֑א עַל־גַּ֜פֵּ֗י מְרֹ֣מֵי קָֽרֶת:
She has sent her maidens: Adam and Eve.   שלחה נערותיה: אדם וחוה, ד"א משה ואהרן:
4"Whoever is simple, let him turn in here." To the one devoid of sense, she says to him,   דמִי־פֶ֖תִי יָסֻ֣ר הֵ֑נָּה חֲסַר־לֵ֜֗ב אָ֣מְרָה לּֽוֹ:
“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here”: and learn it and become wise.   מי פתי יסור הנה: וילמוד אותי ויחכם:
5"Come, partake of my bread and drink of the wine I have mingled.   הלְכוּ לַחֲמ֣וּ בְֽלַחֲמִ֑י וּ֜שְׁת֗וּ בְּיַ֣יִן מָסָֽכְתִּי:
of the wine I have mingled: Heb. מסכתי.   לכו לחמו בלחמי ושתו ביין מסכתי: ביין שמזגתי:
6Leave, you simpletons, and live, and step in the way of understanding."   ועִזְב֣וּ פְתָאיִ֣ם וִֽחְי֑וּ וְ֜אִשְׁר֗וּ בְּדֶ֣רֶךְ בִּינָֽה:
Leave, you simpletons: the way of simplicity and live.   עזבו פתאים וחיו: את דרך הפתיות:
and step: Heb. מסכתי, an expression of stepping, as in (Job 23:11): “To his steps (באשרו) my foot was held fast.”   ואשרו: לשון פעם כמו באשורו אחזה רגלי (איוב כ״ג:י״א):
7He who chastens a scorner takes disgrace for himself, and he who reproves a wicked man, that is his blemish.   זיֹ֤סֵ֨ר לֵ֗ץ לֹקֵ֣חַֽ ל֣וֹ קָל֑וֹן וּמוֹכִ֖יחַ לְרָשָׁ֣ע מוּמֽוֹ:
and he who reproves a wicked man, that is his blemish: It is a blemish to the one who reproves [him], for this one berates him and does not heed him. This is a warning that it is forbidden to talk with those who entice to worship idols, even to reprove them and to draw them near.   ומוכיח לרשע מומו: מום הוא למוכיח שזה מחרפו ואינו שומע לו זו היא אזהרה שאסור לדבר עם המסיתים מדרך הישרה אפילו להוכיחם ולקרבם:
8Reprove not a scorner lest he hate you; reprove a wise man and he will love you.   חאַל־תּ֣וֹכַח לֵ֖ץ פֶּן־יִשְׂנָאֶ֑ךָּ הוֹכַ֥ח לְ֜חָכָ֗ם וְיֶאֱהָבֶֽךָּ:
9Give a wise man, and he will become yet wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.   טתֵּ֣ן לְ֖חָכָם וְיֶחְכַּם־ע֑וֹד הוֹדַ֥ע לְ֜צַדִּ֗יק וְי֣וֹסֶף לֶֽקַח:
Give a wise man, and he will become yet wiser: To a worthy pupil, and the Midrash Aggadah (Tanchuma, Vayakhel 6) states: It was said to Noah, “From every clean animal, etc.” (Gen. 7:2), and when he went out, “And he took from all clean animals, etc.” (ibid. 8:20). He said, “What did the Holy One, blessed be He, see to increase the number of these? It is only because He wished that I offer up some of them.”   תן לחכם ויחכם עוד: לתלמיד הגון (שנה) ומדרש אגדה נאמר לנח מכל הבהמה הטהורה וגו' (בראשית ו׳:י״ג) וכשיצא ויקח מכל הבהמה וגו' (שם) אמר מה ראה הקב"ה להרבות באלו אלא שרצה שאקריב לו מהן:
teach a righteous man: wisdom, and he will increase in learning from his own knowledge in addition to what he heard.   הודע לצדיק: חכמה והוא יוסף לקח. מדעתו ועל שמועתו:
10The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, and the knowledge of the holy ones is understanding.   יתְּחִלַּ֣ת חָ֖כְמָה יִרְאַ֣ת יְהוָ֑ה וְדַ֖עַת קְדשִׁ֣ים בִּינָֽה:
and the knowledge of the holy ones: is the root of understanding.   תחלת חכמה יראת ה', ודעת קדושים: היא עיקר הבינה:
11For with me shall your days increase, and they will add to you years of life.   יאכִּי־בִ֖י יִרְבּ֣וּ יָמֶ֑יךָ וְיוֹסִ֥יפוּ לְּ֜ךָ֗ שְׁנ֣וֹת חַיִּֽים:
and they will add to you years of life: Years of life are those of sustenance and wealth.   ויוסיפו לך שנות חיים: שנים של חיים הם של פרנסה ועושר:
12If you have become wise, you have become wise for yourself, and if you scorn, you will bear it alone.   יבאִם־חָ֖כַמְתָּ חָכַ֣מְתָּ לָּ֑ךְ וְ֜לַ֗צְתָּ לְֽבַדְּךָ֥ תִשָּֽׂא:
13The woman of folly is turbulent; [she is] simple and knows nothing.   יגאֵ֣שֶׁת כְּ֖סִילוּת הֹֽמִיָּ֑ה פְּ֜תַיּ֗וּת וּבַל־יָ֥דְעָה מָּֽה:
14She sits at the entrance of her house on a chair on the heights of the city,   ידוְֽיָשְׁבָה לְפֶ֣תַח בֵּיתָ֑הּ עַל־כִּ֜סֵּ֗א מְרֹ֣מֵי קָֽרֶת:
15to call the passersby, who are going straight on their ways,   טולִקְרֹ֥א לְעֹֽבְרֵי־דָ֑רֶךְ הַֽ֜מְיַשְּׁרִ֗ים אֹֽרְחוֹתָֽם:
16"Whoever is simple, let him turn in here, and whoever is devoid of sense," and she says to him,   טזמִי־פֶ֖תִי יָסֻ֣ר הֵ֑נָּה וַחֲסַר־לֵ֗ב וְאָ֣מְרָה לּֽוֹ:
and whoever is devoid of sense (lit. and one devoid of sense.) and she says to him: these words. What does she say to him?   חסר לב, ואמרה לו: הדברים הללו, מה אמרה לו:
17"Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant."   יזמַֽיִם־גְּנוּבִ֥ים יִמְתָּ֑קוּ וְלֶ֖חֶם סְתָרִ֣ים יִנְעָֽם:
Stolen water is sweet: The pleasure afforded by intimacy with a single woman does not equal that afforded by intimacy with a married woman. Also, regarding the commandments (other editions: sectarianism), stolen water is sweet, for they were afraid to do it in public, but did it in secret.   מים גנובים ימתקו: אין טעם ביאת פנויה כטעם א"א אף לענין המצוה מים גנובים ימתקו שהיו יראים לעשות בגלוי ועושין בסתר:
18But he does not know that shades are there; her guests are in the depths of the grave.   יחוְֽלֹא־יָ֖דַע כִּֽי־רְפָאִ֣ים שָׁ֑ם בְּעִמְקֵ֖י שְׁא֣וֹל קְרֻאֶֽיהָ: