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15 Drink water[a] from your own cistern,
    running water from your own well.
16 Should your water sources be dispersed abroad,
    streams of water in the streets?
17 Let them be yours alone,
    not shared with outsiders;

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Footnotes

  1. 5:15–16 Water: water may have an erotic meaning as in Sg 4:15, “[You are] a garden fountain, a well of living water.” Eating and drinking can be metaphors expressing the mutuality of love. The wife is the opposite of the adulterous woman; she is not an outsider, not unfeeling, not a destroyer of her husband’s self and goods. The best defense against adultery is appreciating and loving one’s spouse. The best defense against folly is to appreciate and love wisdom.