Proverbs 6
1 My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have struck hands in pledge with a stranger,
My son, if thou art become surety for thy neighbour, if thou hast struck thy hands for a stranger —
2 if you have been trapped by the words of your lips, ensnared by the words of your mouth,
Thou art snared by the words of thy mouth, thou art caught by the words of thy mouth —
3 then do this, my son, to free yourself, for you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands: Go, humble yourself, and press your plea with your neighbor.
Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, seeing thou art come into the hand of thy neighbour; go, humble thyself, and urge thy neighbour.
4 Allow no sleep to your eyes or slumber to your eyelids.
Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.
5 Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.
Deliver thyself as a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6 Walk in the manner of the ant, O slacker; observe its ways and become wise.
Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise;
7 Without a commander, without an overseer or ruler,
Which having no chief, overseer, or ruler,
8 it prepares its provisions in summer; it gathers its food at harvest.
Provideth her bread in the summer, and gatherest her food in the harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, O slacker? When will you get up from your sleep?
How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,
'Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep' —
11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.
So shall thy poverty come as a runner, and thy want as an armed man.
12 A worthless person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth,
A base person, a man of iniquity, is he that walketh with a froward mouth;
13 winking his eyes, speaking with his feet, and pointing with his fingers.
That winketh with his eyes, that scrapeth with his feet, that pointeth with his fingers;
14 With deceit in his heart he devises evil; he continually sows discord.
Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth evil continually; he soweth discord.
15 Therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in an instant he will be shattered beyond recovery.
Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; on a sudden shall he be broken, and that without remedy.
16 There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him:
There are six things which the LORD hateth, yea, seven which are an abomination unto Him:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood;
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that run swiftly to evil,
A heart that deviseth wicked thoughts, feet that are swift in running to evil;
19 a false witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up discord among brothers.
A false witness that breatheth out lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
20 My son, keep your father’s commandment, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
My son, keep the commandment of thy father, and forsake not the teaching of thy mother;
21 Bind them always upon your heart; tie them around your neck.
Bind them continually upon thy heart, tie them about thy neck.
22 When you walk, they will guide you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you.
When thou walkest, it shall lead thee, when thou liest down, it shall watch over thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
23 For this commandment is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way to life,
For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching is light, and reproofs of instruction are the way of life;
24 to keep you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.
To keep thee from the evil woman, from the smoothness of the alien tongue.
25 Do not lust in your heart for her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.
Lust not after her beauty in thy heart; neither let her captivate thee with her eyelids.
26 For the levy of the prostitute is poverty, and the adulteress preys upon your very life.
For on account of a harlot a man is brought to a loaf of bread, but the adulteress hunteth for the precious life.
27 Can a man embrace fire and his clothes not be burned?
Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?
28 Can a man walk on hot coals without scorching his feet?
Or can one walk upon hot coals, and his feet not be scorched?
29 So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished.
So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not go unpunished.
30 Men do not despise the thief if he steals to satisfy his hunger.
Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;
31 Yet if caught, he must pay sevenfold; he must give up all the wealth of his house.
But if he be found, he must restore sevenfold, he must give all the substance of his house.
32 He who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself.
He that committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding; he doeth it that would destroy his own soul.
33 Wounds and dishonor will befall him, and his reproach will never be wiped away.
Wounds and dishonour shall he get, and his reproach shall not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy enrages a husband, and he will show no mercy in the day of vengeance.
For jealousy is the rage of a man, and he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35 He will not be appeased by any ransom, or persuaded by lavish gifts.
He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.
