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 have become surety for thy neighbour, —have struck for a stranger thy hands,
2 if you have been trapped by the words of your lips, ensnared by the words of your mouth,
Thou hast been snared by the sayings of thy mouth, —thou hast been caught by the sayings 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 then, my son, and deliver thyself, When thou hast come into the hand of thy neighbour, Go, haste thee, and urge thy neighbour;
4 Allow no sleep to your eyes or slumber to your eyelids.
Do not give sleep to thine eyes, or slumber to thine eyelashes;
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 out of the hand, and as a bird, out of 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, observe her ways, and be wise;
7 Without a commander, without an overseer or ruler,
Which, having no harvest, scribe, or ruler,
8 it prepares its provisions in summer; it gathers its food at harvest.
Prepareth, in the summer, her food, hath collected, in the harvest, her sustenance.
9 How long will you lie there, O slacker? When will you get up from your sleep?
How long, O sluggard, wilt thou lie? how long ere thou rise from thy sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,
A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest: —
11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.
So shall come in, as a highwayman, thy poverty, and, thy want, as one armed with a shield.
12 A worthless person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth,
An abandoned man, a man of iniquity, [is he] who—goeth on in perversity of mouth;
13 winking his eyes, speaking with his feet, and pointing with his fingers.
Winketh with his eyes, speaketh with his foot, pointeth with his fingers;
14 With deceit in his heart he devises evil; he continually sows discord.
[Hath] perverse things in his heart, deviseth mischief on every occasion, strifes, he sendeth forth.
15 Therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in an instant he will be shattered beyond recovery.
For this cause, suddenly cometh his doom, in a moment, shall he be torn in pieces and there be no mending.
16 There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him:
These six things, doth Yahweh hate, yea, seven, are the abomination of his soul: —
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
Eyes that are lofty, a tongue that is false, and hands shedding innocent blood;
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that run swiftly to evil,
A heart contriving iniquitous devices, feet hasting to run into mischief;
19 a false witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up discord among brothers.
One that uttereth lies—a false witness, and one sending forth strifes between brethren.
20 My son, keep your father’s commandment, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
Observe thou, my son, the commandment of thy father, and do not decline from the instruction of thy mother:
21 Bind them always upon your heart; tie them around your neck.
Bind them upon thy heart continually, fasten them upon 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 abroad, it shall guide thee, when thou sleepest, it shall watch over thee, when thou wakest, it shall speak to thee:
23 For this commandment is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way to life,
For, a lamp, is the commandment, and, the instruction, a light, and, the way of life, are the reproofs of correction:
24 to keep you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.
To keep thee from the wicked woman, from the flattery of the tongue of her that is a stranger.
25 Do not lust in your heart for her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.
Do not covet her beauty, in thy heart, neither let her take thee, by her eyelashes;
26 For the levy of the prostitute is poverty, and the adulteress preys upon your very life.
Because, for the sake of an impure woman, [a man may be brought] even to a cake of bread, —and, a man’s wife, for a precious soul, may hunt!
27 Can a man embrace fire and his clothes not be burned?
Can a man snatch up fire in his bosom, and, his clothes, not be burned?
28 Can a man walk on hot coals without scorching his feet?
Or can a man walk upon hot coals, and, his feet, not be burned?
29 So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished.
So, he that goeth in unto his neighbour’s wife, no man shall be guiltless who toucheth her!
30 Men do not despise the thief if he steals to satisfy his hunger.
Men despise not a thief, when he stealeth, to satisfy his appetite, because he is famished;
31 Yet if caught, he must pay sevenfold; he must give up all the wealth of his house.
Yet, if found, he must pay back sevenfold, All the substance of his house, must he give:
32 He who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself.
He that committeth adultery with a woman, lacketh sense, A destroyer of his own life, is he that doeth it;
33 Wounds and dishonor will befall him, and his reproach will never be wiped away.
Smiting and shame, shall he find, and, his reproach, shall not be wiped out;
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, nor will he spare, in the day of avenging;
35 He will not be appeased by any ransom, or persuaded by lavish gifts.
He will not look, at any ransom, neither will he consent, though thou increase the bribe.
