Proverbs 6
1 My son, if you have taken a pledge on behalf of your friend, then you have bound your hand to an outsider,
My son, If thou hast become surety for thy friend, if thou hast struck thy hand for a stranger;
2 then you are ensnared by the words of your own mouth, and taken captive by your own words.
If thou art ensnared through the words of thy mouth, if thou art caught through the words of thy mouth:
3 Therefore, my son, do what I say, and free yourself, for you have fallen into the hand of your neighbor. Run, hurry, awaken your friend.
[Then] do this by all means, my son, and deliver thyself, because thou art come into the power of thy friend, Go hasten to him, and urge thy friend.
4 Do not grant sleep to your eyes, nor let your eyelids slumber.
Grant not any sleep to thy eyes, nor slumber to thy eyelids.
5 Rescue yourself like a gazelle from the hand, and like a bird from the hand of the fowler.
Deliver thyself as a roebuck from the hand [of the hunter], and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6 Go to the ant, you lazy one, and consider her ways, and so learn wisdom.
Go to the ant, thou sluggard; look on her ways, and become wise.
7 For though she has no ruler, nor instructor, nor leader,
She, that hath no prince, officer, or ruler,
8 she provides meals for herself in the summer, and she gathers at the harvest what she may eat.
Provideth in the summer her provision, gathereth in harvest-time her food.
9 How long will you slumber, you lazy one? When will you rise up from your sleep?
How long, O sluggard, wilt thou lie down? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
10 You will sleep a little, you will slumber a little, you will fold your hands a little to sleep,
“A little [more] sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands in lying down;”
11 and then destitution will meet with you, like a traveler, and poverty, like an armed man. Yet truly, if you would be diligent, then your harvest will arrive like a fountain, and destitution will flee far from you.
But then will thy poverty come like a rover, and thy want as a man armed with a shield.
12 An apostate man, a harmful man, walks with a perverse mouth;
A Godless person is a man of injustice, who walketh with a distorted mouth.
13 he winks with the eyes, touches with the foot, speaks with the finger.
He blinketh with his eyes, he scrapeth with his feet, he pointeth with his fingers;
14 With a depraved heart he devises evil, and at all times he sows conflict.
Perverseness is in his heart, he contriveth evil at all times; he scattereth abroad discord.
15 To this one, his perdition will arrive promptly, and he shall be crushed suddenly: he will no longer have any remedy.
Therefore shall suddenly come his calamity: unawares shalt he be broken without a remedy.
16 Six things there are that the Lord hates, and the seventh, his soul detests:
Six things there are which the Lord hateth; and seven are an abomination unto his spirit:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
Haughty eyes, a tongue of falsehood, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises the most wicked thoughts, feet running swiftly unto evil,
A heart that contriveth plans of injustice, feet that hasten to run after evil,
19 a deceitful witness bringing forth lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.
A false witness that eagerly uttereth lies, and him that scattereth abroad discord among brethren.
20 My son, preserve the precepts of your father, and do not dismiss the law of your mother.
Keep, O my son, the commandment of thy father, and reject not the teaching of thy mother:
21 Bind them to your heart unceasingly, and encircle them around your throat.
Bind them upon thy heart continually, tie them about thy throat.
22 When you walk, let them keep step with you. When you sleep, let them guard you. And when you keep watch, speak with them.
When thou walkest, it shall lead thee; when thou liest down, it shall watch over thee; and when thou art awake, it shall converse with thee.
23 For commandment is a lamp, and law is a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life.
For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light; and the way of life are the admonitions of correction:
24 So may they guard you from an evil woman, and from the flattering tongue of the outsider.
To guard thee against a bad woman, from the flattery of an alien tongue.
25 Let not your heart desire her beauty; do not be captivated by her winks.
Covet not her beauty in thy heart, and let her not conquer thee with her eyelids.
26 For the price of a prostitute is only one loaf. Yet the woman seizes the precious soul of a man.
For by means of a harlot [one is brought down] to the last loaf of bread: and an adulterous woman will even hunt for the precious life,
27 Would a man be able to conceal fire in his bosom, so that his garments would not burn?
Can a man gather up fire in his lap, and shall his clothes not be burnt?
28 Or could he walk over burning coals, so that his feet would not be burned?
Can a man walk along upon hot coals, and shall his feet not be burnt?
29 So also, he who enters to the wife of his neighbor shall not be clean when he touches her.
So it is with him that goeth in to his neighbor's wife: no one that toucheth her shall remain unpunished.
30 Not so great is the fault when someone has stolen. For he steals so as to satisfy a hungry soul.
Men do not despise the thief, if he steal, to gratify his craving when he is hungry:
31 Also, if he is apprehended, he shall repay sevenfold and hand over all the substance of his house.
And if he be found, he must pay sevenfold; all the wealth his house must he give.
32 But whoever is an adulterer, because of the emptiness of his heart, will destroy his own soul.
But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh sense: he that is the destroyer of his soul, will alone do this.
33 He gathers shame and dishonor to himself, and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
Plague and disgrace will he meet with; and his reproach will not be blotted out.
34 For the jealousy and fury of the husband will not spare him on the day of vindication,
For jealousy is the fury of a husband, and he will not spare on the day of vengeance.
35 nor will he agree to the pleadings of anyone, nor will he accept, as repayment, a multitude of gifts.
He will not regard the appearance of any ransom; and he will not be content, though thou give ever so many bribes.
