Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G MessageHe followed her on the spot — like an ox walking to its slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose —
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.GAt once he followed her — like an ox going to the slaughter, or like a stag stepping into a fetter, into a fool's ruin —
KJV
King James VersionHe goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;
BSB
Berean Standard BibleHe follows her on impulse, like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer bounding into a trap,
Footnotes
*כְּעֶכֶס* (*ke'ekes*) is a disputed term; *עֶכֶס* elsewhere means 'anklet/fetter' and several scholars read it here as a deer leaping into a snare. The Septuagint reads 'like a dog to bonds,' and many modern translations emend to 'deer into a noose.' The precise animal is uncertain, but the image — helpless, unaware entrapment — is unmistakable. The three-image sequence (ox, fettered creature here, bird in v.23) piles picture upon picture to convey escalating, irreversible doom. FOG renders 'stag stepping into a fetter'; FOG Message uses 'deer stepping into a noose' for clarity.