Proverbs 9:17

NETBible

“Stolen waters 1  are sweet, and food obtained in secret 2  is pleasant!”

NIV ©

"Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!"

NASB ©

"Stolen water is sweet; And bread eaten in secret is pleasant."

NLT ©

"Stolen water is refreshing; food eaten in secret tastes the best!"

MSG ©

Steal off with me, I'll show you a good time! No one will ever know--I'll give you the time of your life."

BBE ©

Drink taken without right is sweet, and food in secret is pleasing.

NRSV ©

"Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant."

NKJV ©

"Stolen water is sweet, And bread eaten in secret is pleasant."

KJV
Stolen
<01589> (8803)
waters
<04325>
are sweet
<04985> (8799)_,
and bread
<03899>
[eaten] in secret
<05643>
is pleasant
<05276> (8799)_.
{eaten...: Heb. of secrecies}
NASB ©
"Stolen
<1589>
water
<4325>
is sweet
<4985>
; And bread
<3899>

eaten
in secret
<5643>
is pleasant
<5276>
."
LXXM
artwn
<740> 
N-GPM
krufiwn {A-GPM} hdewv
<2234> 
ADV
aqasye
<680> 
V-AMS-2P
kai
<2532> 
CONJ
udatov
<5204> 
N-GSN
klophv
<2829> 
N-GSF
glukerou {A-GSN}
NET [draft] ITL
“Stolen
<01589>
waters
<04325>
are sweet
<04985>
, and food
<03899>
obtained in secret
<05643>
is pleasant
<05276>
!”
HEBREW
Meny
<05276>
Myrto
<05643>
Mxlw
<03899>
wqtmy
<04985>
Mybwng
<01589>
Mym (9:17)
<04325>
NETBible

“Stolen waters 1  are sweet, and food obtained in secret 2  is pleasant!”

NET Notes

1 sn The offer is not wine and meat (which represented wisdom), but water that is stolen. The “water” will seem sweeter than wine because it is stolen – the idea of getting away with something exciting appeals to the baser instincts. In Proverbs the water imagery was introduced earlier in 5:15-19 as sexual activity with the adulteress, which would seem at the moment more enjoyable than learning wisdom. Likewise bread will be drawn into this analogy in 30:20. So the “calling out” is similar to that of wisdom, but what is being offered is very different.

2 tn Heb “bread of secrecies.” It could mean “bread [eaten in] secret places,” a genitive of location; or it could mean “bread [gained through] secrets,” a genitive of source, the secrecies being metonymical for theft. The latter makes a better parallelism in this verse, for bread (= sexually immoral behavior) gained secretly would be like stolen water.