Proverbs 6
1 My son, suppose you have pledged to guarantee your neighbor's debt, or you have shaken hands in agreement with a stranger,
My son! if thou hast been surety for thy friend, Hast stricken for a stranger thy hand,
2 then you've trapped yourself by what you promised, you've been caught by what you said.
Hast been snared with sayings of thy mouth, Hast been captured with sayings of thy mouth,
3 So this is what you have to do. You need to get out of it, because you've put yourself in that person's power. Go to your neighbor in all humility and ask him to release you from the commitment.
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 Don't delay, saying that you'll sleep on it. Don't rest until you've done it.
Give not sleep to thine eyes, And slumber to thine eyelids,
5 Get out of it like a gazelle escaping from a trap, like a bird from a bird-catcher's net.
Be delivered as a roe from the hand, And as a bird from the hand of a fowler.
6 Go and observe the ants, you slacker! Learn from what they do and become wise.
Go unto the ant, O slothful one, See her ways and be wise;
7 They don't have a leader, an officer, or a ruler,
Which hath not captain, overseer, and ruler,
8 yet they work hard during the summer getting their food, gathering what they need during the harvest.
She doth prepare in summer her bread, She hath gathered in harvest her food.
9 So how long are you going to lie there, you slacker? When are you going to get up from your sleep?
Till when, O slothful one, dost thou lie? When dost thou arise from thy sleep?
10 You may say, “Please, just a little more sleep, a little longer snooze, a little more folding of the arms to rest”—
A little sleep, a little slumber, A little clasping of the hands to rest,
11 and poverty will attack you like a robber, destitution like an armed warrior.
And thy poverty hath come as a traveller, And thy want as an armed man.
12 Rebellious and wicked people go around telling lies,
A man of worthlessness, a man of iniquity, Walking [with] perverseness of mouth,
13 winking slyly, giving sneaky foot gestures, rudely pointing with their fingers.
Winking with his eyes, speaking with his feet, Directing with his fingers,
14 Their warped minds plot evil schemes; they're always causing trouble.
Frowardness [is] in his heart, devising evil at all times, Contentions he sendeth forth.
15 As a result, disaster falls suddenly on such people; in just a moment they're destroyed without hope of healing.
Therefore suddenly cometh his calamity, Instantly he is broken — and no healing.
16 There are six things that the Lord hates, seven things that he absolutely detests:
These six hath Jehovah hated, Yea, seven [are] abominations to His soul.
17 arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, hands that murder the innocent,
Eyes high — tongues false — And hands shedding innocent blood —
18 a mind that plots evil schemes, feet that hurriedly run to do wrong,
A heart devising thoughts of vanity — Feet hasting to run to evil —
19 a false witness that speaks lies, those who caused arguments in families.
A false witness [who] doth breathe out lies — And one sending forth contentions between brethren.
20 My son, pay attention to your father's instruction, and don't reject your mother's teaching.
Keep, my son, the command of thy father, And leave not the law of thy mother.
21 Keep them always in mind. Tie them around your neck.
Bind them on thy heart continually, Tie them on thy neck.
22 They will lead you as you walk along; they will watch over you as you sleep; when you wake up they will talk with 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 the instruction is a lamp, and the teaching is a light. The correction that comes from discipline is 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 It will protect you from an evil woman and the seductive words of a prostitute.
To preserve thee from an evil woman, From the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
25 Don't let your mind lust after her beauty, or let her hypnotize you with her fluttering eyelashes.
Desire not her beauty in thy heart, And let her not take thee with her eyelids.
26 You can buy a prostitute for the price of a loaf of bread, but adultery with another man's wife can cost you your life.
For a harlot consumeth unto a cake of bread, And an adulteress the precious soul hunteth.
27 Can you put fire in your lap and not burn your clothes?
Doth a man take fire into his bosom, And are his garments not burnt?
28 Can you walk on hot coals and not scorch your feet?
Doth a man walk on the hot coals, And are his feet not scorched?
29 It's the same for anyone who sleeps with another man's wife. No one who touches her will remain unpunished.
So [is] he who hath gone in unto the wife of his neighbour, None who doth touch her is innocent.
30 People don't condemn a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he's hungry.
They do not despise the thief, When he stealeth to fill his soul when he is hungry,
31 But if he's caught, he has to pay back seven times what he stole, even if it means handing over everything he has in his house.
And being found he repayeth sevenfold, All the substance of his house he giveth.
32 Any man who commits adultery with a woman has no sense; he who does so destroys himself.
He who committeth adultery [with] a woman lacketh heart, He is destroying his soul who doth it.
33 He will be wounded and dishonored. His disgrace will never be removed.
A stroke and shame he doth find, And his reproach is not wiped away,
34 For jealousy makes a husband furious, and he won't hold back when he takes revenge.
For jealousy [is] the fury of a man, And he doth not spare in a day of vengeance.
35 He refuses any compensation, and won't be paid off, however big the amount.
He accepteth not the appearance of any atonement, Yea, he doth not consent, Though thou dost multiply bribes!
