Proverbs 6
1 My son, if thou art become surety for thy neighbour, if thou hast struck thy hands for a stranger —
[My] son, if you become surety for your friend, you shall deliver your hand to an enemy.
2 Thou art snared by the words of thy mouth, thou art caught by the words of thy mouth —
For a man's own lips become a strong snare to him, and he is caught with the lips of his own mouth.
3 Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, seeing thou art come into the hand of thy neighbour; go, humble thyself, and urge thy neighbour.
[My] son, do what I command you, and deliver yourself; for on your friend's account you are come into the power of evil [men]: faint not, but stir up even your friend for whom you are become surety.
4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.
Give not sleep to your eyes, nor slumber with your eyelids;
5 Deliver thyself as a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
that you may deliver yourself as a doe out of the toils, and as a bird out of a snare.
6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise;
Go to the ant, O sluggard; and see, and emulate his ways, and become wiser than he.
7 Which having no chief, overseer, or ruler,
For whereas he has no husbandry, nor any one to compel him, and is under no master,
8 Provideth her bread in the summer, and gatherest her food in the harvest.
he prepares food for himself in the summer, and lays by abundant store in harvest. Or go to the bee, and learn how diligent she is, and how earnestly she is engaged in her work; whose labours kings and private men use for health, and she is desired and respected by all: though weak in body, she is advanced by honouring wisdom.
9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
How long will you lie, O sluggard? and when will you awake out of sleep?
10 'Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep' —
You sleep a little, and you rest a little, and you slumber a short [time], and you fold your arms over your breast a little.
11 So shall thy poverty come as a runner, and thy want as an armed man.
Then poverty comes upon you as an evil traveller, and lack as a swift courier: but if you be diligent, your harvest shall arrive as a fountain, and poverty shall flee away as a bad courier.
12 A base person, a man of iniquity, is he that walketh with a froward mouth;
A foolish man and a transgressor goes in ways that are not good.
13 That winketh with his eyes, that scrapeth with his feet, that pointeth with his fingers;
And the same winks with the eye, and makes a sign with his foot, and teaches with the beckonings of his fingers.
14 Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth evil continually; he soweth discord.
[His] perverse heart devises evils: at all times such a one causes troubles to a city.
15 Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; on a sudden shall he be broken, and that without remedy.
Therefore his destruction shall come suddenly; overthrow and irretrievable ruin.
16 There are six things which the LORD hateth, yea, seven which are an abomination unto Him:
For he rejoices in all things which God hates, and he is ruined by reason of impurity of soul.
17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood;
The eye of the haughty, a tongue unjust, hands shedding the blood of the just;
18 A heart that deviseth wicked thoughts, feet that are swift in running to evil;
and a heart devising evil thoughts, and feet hastening to do evil, —[are hateful to God].
19 A false witness that breatheth out lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
An unjust witness kindles falsehoods, and brings on quarrels between brethren.
20 My son, keep the commandment of thy father, and forsake not the teaching of thy mother;
[My] son, keep the laws of your father, and reject not the ordinances of your mother:
21 Bind them continually upon thy heart, tie them about thy neck.
but bind them upon your soul continually, and hang them as a chain about your neck.
22 When thou walkest, it shall lead thee, when thou liest down, it shall watch over thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
Whenever you walk, lead this along and let it be with you; that it may talk with you when you wake.
23 For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching is light, and reproofs of instruction are the way of life;
For the commandment of the law is a lamp and a light; a way of life; reproof also and correction:
24 To keep thee from the evil woman, from the smoothness of the alien tongue.
to keep you continually from a married woman, and from the calumny of a strange tongue.
25 Lust not after her beauty in thy heart; neither let her captivate thee with her eyelids.
Let not the desire of beauty overcome you, neither be you caught by your eyes, neither be captivated with her eyelids.
26 For on account of a harlot a man is brought to a loaf of bread, but the adulteress hunteth for the precious life.
For the value of a harlot is as much as of one loaf; and a woman hunts for the precious souls of men.
27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?
Shall any one bind fire in his bosom, and not burn his garments?
28 Or can one walk upon hot coals, and his feet not be scorched?
or will any one walk on coals of fire, and not burn his feet?
29 So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not go unpunished.
So is he that goes in to a married woman; he shall not be held guiltless, neither any one that touches her.
30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;
It is not to be wondered at if one should be taken stealing, for he steals that when hungry he may satisfy his soul:
31 But if he be found, he must restore sevenfold, he must give all the substance of his house.
but if he should be taken, he shall repay sevenfold, and shall deliver himself by giving all his goods.
32 He that committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding; he doeth it that would destroy his own soul.
But the adulterer through lack of sense procures destruction to his soul.
33 Wounds and dishonour shall he get, and his reproach shall not be wiped away.
He endures both pain and disgrace, and his reproach shall never be wiped off.
34 For jealousy is the rage of a man, and he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
For the soul of her husband is full of jealousy: he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35 He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.
He will not forego [his] enmity for any ransom: neither will he be reconciled for many gifts.
