Proverbs 6
1 My son, if you be guarantor for your friend, if you have stricken your hand with a stranger,
My son! If you have been guarantor for your friend, Have struck your hand for a stranger,
2 You are snared with the words of your mouth, you are taken with the words of your mouth.
Have been snared with sayings of your mouth, Have been captured with sayings of your mouth,
3 Do this now, my son, and deliver yourself, when you are come into the hand of your friend; go, humble yourself, and make sure your friend.
Do this now, my son, and be delivered, For you have come into the hand of your friend. Go, trample on yourself, and strengthen your friend,
4 Give not sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids.
Do not give sleep to your eyes, And slumber to your eyelids,
5 Deliver yourself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
Be delivered as a roe from the hand, And as a bird from the hand of a fowler.
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
Go to the ant, O slothful one, See her ways and be wise;
7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
Which has no captain, overseer, and ruler,
8 Provides her food in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.
She prepares her bread in summer, She has gathered her food in harvest.
9 How long will you sleep, O sluggard? when will you arise out of your sleep?
Until when, O slothful one, do you lie? When do you arise from your sleep?
10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
A little sleep, a little slumber, A little clasping of the hands to rest,
11 So shall your poverty come as one that travels, and your lack as an armed man.
And your poverty has come as a traveler, And your want as an armed man.
12 A naughty person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth.
A man of worthlessness, a man of iniquity, Walking [with] perverseness of mouth,
13 He winks with his eyes, he speaks with his feet, he teaches with his fingers;
Winking with his eyes, speaking with his feet, Directing with his fingers,
14 Perverseness is in his heart, he devises mischief continually; he sows discord.
Contrariness [is] in his heart, devising evil at all times, He sends forth contentions.
15 Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.
Therefore his calamity comes suddenly, He is broken instantly—and no healing.
16 These six things does the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
These six has YHWH hated, Indeed, seven [are] abominations to His soul:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
High eyes, False tongues, And hands shedding innocent blood,
18 An heart that devises wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
A heart devising thoughts of vanity, Feet hastening to run to evil,
19 A false witness that speaks lies, and he that sows discord among brethren.
A false witness [who] breathes out lies, And one sending forth contentions between brothers.
20 My son, keep your father's commandment, and forsake not the law of your mother:
Keep, my son, the command of your father, And do not leave the law of your mother.
21 Bind them continually upon your heart, and tie them about your neck.
Bind them on your heart continually, Tie them on your neck.
22 When you go, it shall lead you; when you sleep, it shall keep you; and when you awake, it shall talk with you.
In your going up and down, it leads you, In your lying down, it watches over you, And you have awoken—it talks [with] you.
23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
For the command [is] a lamp, And the Law a light, And a way of life [are] reproofs of instruction,
24 To keep you from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
To preserve you from an evil woman, From the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
25 Lust not after her beauty in your heart; neither let her take you with her eyelids.
Do not desire her beauty in your heart, And do not let her take you with her eyelids.
26 For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adultress will hunt for the precious life.
For a harlot consumes to a cake of bread, And an adulteress hunts the precious soul.
27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?
Does a man take fire into his bosom, And are his garments not burned?
28 Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?
Does a man walk on the hot coals, And are his feet not scorched?
29 So he that goes in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever touches her shall not be innocent.
So [is] he who has gone in to the wife of his neighbor, None who touches her is innocent.
30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;
They do not despise the thief, When he steals to fill his soul when he is hungry,
31 But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.
And being found he repays sevenfold, He gives all the substance of his house.
32 But whoso commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding: he that does it destroys his own soul.
He who commits adultery [with] a woman lacks heart, He who does it is destroying his soul.
33 A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.
He finds a stroke and shame, And his reproach is not wiped away,
34 For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
For jealousy [is] the fury of a man, And he does not spare in a day of vengeance.
35 He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though you give many gifts.
He does not accept the appearance of any atonement, Indeed, he does not consent, Though you multiply bribes!
