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 hast been surety for thy friend, Hast stricken for a stranger thy hand,
2 if you have been trapped by the words of your lips, ensnared by the words of your mouth,
Hast been snared with sayings of thy mouth, Hast been captured with 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 now, my son, and be delivered, For thou hast come into the hand of thy friend. Go, trample on thyself, and strengthen thy friend,
4 Allow no sleep to your eyes or slumber to your eyelids.
Give not sleep to thine eyes, And 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.
Be delivered as a roe from the hand, And as a bird from the hand of a fowler.
6 Walk in the manner of the ant, O slacker; observe its ways and become wise.
Go unto the ant, O slothful one, See her ways and be wise;
7 Without a commander, without an overseer or ruler,
Which hath not captain, overseer, and ruler,
8 it prepares its provisions in summer; it gathers its food at harvest.
She doth prepare in summer her bread, She hath gathered in harvest her food.
9 How long will you lie there, O slacker? When will you get up from your sleep?
Till when, O slothful one, dost thou lie? When dost thou arise 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 clasping of the hands to rest,
11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.
And thy poverty hath come as a traveller, And thy want as an armed man.
12 A worthless person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth,
A man of worthlessness, a man of iniquity, Walking [with] perverseness of mouth,
13 winking his eyes, speaking with his feet, and pointing with his fingers.
Winking with his eyes, speaking with his feet, Directing with his fingers,
14 With deceit in his heart he devises evil; he continually sows discord.
Frowardness [is] in his heart, devising evil at all times, Contentions he sendeth forth.
15 Therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in an instant he will be shattered beyond recovery.
Therefore suddenly cometh his calamity, Instantly he is broken — and no healing.
16 There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him:
These six hath Jehovah hated, Yea, seven [are] abominations to His soul.
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
Eyes high — tongues false — And hands shedding innocent blood —
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that run swiftly to evil,
A heart devising thoughts of vanity — Feet hasting to run to evil —
19 a false witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up discord among brothers.
A false witness [who] doth breathe out lies — And one sending forth contentions between brethren.
20 My son, keep your father’s commandment, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
Keep, my son, the command of thy father, And leave not the law of thy mother.
21 Bind them always upon your heart; tie them around your neck.
Bind them on thy heart continually, Tie them on 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.
In thy going up and down, it leadeth thee, In thy lying down, it watcheth over thee, And thou hast awaked — it talketh [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 a lamp [is] the command, And the law a light, And a way of life [are] reproofs of instruction,
24 to keep you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.
To preserve thee from an evil woman, From the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
25 Do not lust in your heart for her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.
Desire not her beauty in thy heart, And let her not take thee with her eyelids.
26 For the levy of the prostitute is poverty, and the adulteress preys upon your very life.
For a harlot consumeth unto a cake of bread, And an adulteress the precious soul hunteth.
27 Can a man embrace fire and his clothes not be burned?
Doth a man take fire into his bosom, And are his garments not burnt?
28 Can a man walk on hot coals without scorching his feet?
Doth a man walk on the hot coals, And are his feet not scorched?
29 So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished.
So [is] he who hath gone in unto the wife of his neighbour, None who doth touch her is innocent.
30 Men do not despise the thief if he steals to satisfy his hunger.
They do not despise the thief, When he stealeth to fill his soul when he is hungry,
31 Yet if caught, he must pay sevenfold; he must give up all the wealth of his house.
And being found he repayeth sevenfold, All the substance of his house he giveth.
32 He who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself.
He who committeth adultery [with] a woman lacketh heart, He is destroying his soul who doth it.
33 Wounds and dishonor will befall him, and his reproach will never be wiped away.
A stroke and shame he doth find, And his reproach is not wiped away,
34 For jealousy enrages a husband, and he will show no mercy in the day of vengeance.
For jealousy [is] the fury of a man, And he doth not spare in a day of vengeance.
35 He will not be appeased by any ransom, or persuaded by lavish gifts.
He accepteth not the appearance of any atonement, Yea, he doth not consent, Though thou dost multiply bribes!
