Proverbs 6
1 My son, if you have made yourself responsible for your neighbour, or given your word for another,
My sonne, if thou be surety for thy neighbour, and hast striken hands with the stranger,
2 You are taken as in a net by the words of your mouth, the sayings of your lips have overcome you.
Thou art snared with the wordes of thy mouth: thou art euen taken with the woordes of thine owne mouth.
3 Do this, my son, and make yourself free, because you have come into the power of your neighbour; go without waiting, and make a strong request to your neighbour.
Doe this nowe, my sonne, and deliuer thy selfe: seeing thou art come into the hande of thy neighbour, goe, and humble thy selfe, and sollicite thy friends.
4 Give no sleep to your eyes, or rest to them;
Giue no sleepe to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.
5 Make yourself free, like the roe from the hand of the archer, and the bird from him who puts a net for her.
Deliuer thy selfe as a doe from the hande of the hunter, and as a birde from the hande of the fouler.
6 Go to the ant, you hater of work; give thought to her ways and be wise:
Goe to the pismire, O sluggarde: beholde her waies, and be wise.
7 Having no chief, overseer, or ruler,
For shee hauing no guide, gouernour, nor ruler,
8 She gets her meat in the summer, storing up food at the time of the grain-cutting.
Prepareth her meat in the sommer, and gathereth her foode in haruest.
9 How long will you be sleeping, O hater of work? when will you get up from your sleep?
Howe long wilt thou sleepe, O sluggarde? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleepe?
10 A little sleep, a little rest, a little folding of the hands in sleep:
Yet a litle sleepe, a litle slumber, a litle folding of the hands to sleepe.
11 Then loss will come on you like an outlaw, and your need like an armed man
Therefore thy pouertie commeth as one that trauaileth by the way, and thy necessitie like an armed man.
12 A good-for-nothing man is an evil-doer; he goes on his way causing trouble with false words;
The vnthriftie man and the wicked man walketh with a froward mouth.
13 Making signs with his eyes, rubbing with his feet, and giving news with his fingers;
He maketh a signe with his eyes: he signifieth with his feete: he instructeth with his fingers.
14 His mind is ever designing evil: he lets loose violent acts.
Lewde things are in his heart: he imagineth euill at all times, and raiseth vp contentions.
15 For this cause his downfall will be sudden; quickly he will be broken, and there will be no help for him.
Therefore shall his destruction come speedily: hee shall be destroyed suddenly without recouerie.
16 Six things are hated by the Lord; seven things are disgusting to him:
These sixe things doeth the Lord hate: yea, his soule abhorreth seuen:
17 Eyes of pride, a false tongue, hands which take life without cause;
The hautie eyes, a lying tongue, and the hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart full of evil designs, feet which are quick in running after sin;
An heart that imagineth wicked enterprises, feete that be swift in running to mischiefe,
19 A false witness, breathing out untrue words, and one who lets loose violent acts among brothers.
A false witnesse that speaketh lyes, and him that rayseth vp contentions among brethren.
20 My son, keep the rule of your father, and have in memory the teaching of your mother:
My sonne, keepe thy fathers commandement, and forsake not thy mothers instruction.
21 Keep them ever folded in your heart, and have them hanging round your neck.
Binde them alway vpon thine heart, and tye them about thy necke.
22 In your walking, it will be your guide; when you are sleeping, it will keep watch over you; when you are awake, it will have talk with you.
It shall leade thee, when thou walkest: it shall watch for thee, when thou sleepest, and when thou wakest, it shall talke with thee.
23 For the rule is a light, and the teaching a shining light; and the guiding words of training are the way of life.
For the commandement is a lanterne, and instruction a light: and corrections for instruction are the way of life,
24 They will keep you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the strange woman.
To keepe thee from the wicked woman, and from ye flatterie of ye tongue of a strange woman.
25 Let not your heart's desire go after her fair body; let not her eyes take you prisoner.
Desire not her beautie in thine heart, neither let her take thee with her eye lids.
26 For a loose woman is looking for a cake of bread, but another man's wife goes after one's very life.
For because of the whorish woman a man is brought to a morsell of bread, and a woman wil hunt for the precious life of a man.
27 May a man take fire to his breast without burning his clothing?
Can a man take fire in his bosome, and his clothes not be burnt?
28 Or may one go on lighted coals, and his feet not be burned?
Or can a man go vpon coales, and his feete not be burnt?
29 So it is with him who goes in to his neighbour's wife; he who has anything to do with her will not go free from punishment.
So he that goeth in to his neighbours wife, shall not be innocent, whosoeuer toucheth her.
30 Men do not have a low opinion of a thief who takes food when he is in need of it:
Men do not despise a thiefe, when he stealeth, to satisfie his soule, because he is hungrie.
31 But if he is taken in the act he will have to give back seven times as much, giving up all his property which is in his house.
But if he be founde, he shall restore seuen folde, or he shall giue all the substance of his house.
32 He who takes another man's wife is without all sense: he who does it is the cause of destruction to his soul.
But he that committeth adulterie with a woman, he is destitute of vnderstanding: he that doeth it, destroyeth his owne soule.
33 Wounds will be his and loss of honour, and his shame may not be washed away.
He shall finde a wounde and dishonour, and his reproch shall neuer be put away.
34 For bitter is the wrath of an angry husband; in the day of punishment he will have no mercy.
For ielousie is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35 He will not take any payment; and he will not make peace with you though your money offerings are increased.
He cannot beare the sight of any raunsome: neither will he consent, though thou augment the giftes.
