Proverbs 6
1 My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, [if] thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,
My son, if you set aside your money as a guarantee for your neighbor's loan, if you gave your promise for a loan of someone you do not know,
2 Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.
then you have laid a trap for yourself by your promise and you have been caught by the words of your mouth.
3 Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.
When you are caught by your words, my son, do this and save yourself, since you have fallen into the hand of your neighbor; go and humble yourself and make your case before your neighbor.
4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.
Give your eyes no sleep and your eyelids no slumber.
5 Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand [of the hunter], and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
Save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
Look at the ant, you lazy person, consider her ways, and be wise.
7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
It has no commander, officer, or ruler,
8 Provideth her meat in the summer, [and] gathereth her food in the harvest.
yet it prepares its food in the summer and during the harvest it stores up what it will eat.
9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
How long will you sleep, you lazy person? When will you rise 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 folding of the hands to rest”—
11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
and your poverty will come like a robber and your needs like an armed soldier.
12 A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.
A worthless person—a wicked man— lives by the crookedness of his speech,
13 He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;
winking his eyes, making signals with his feet and pointing with his fingers.
14 Frowardness [is] in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.
He plots evil with deceit in his heart; he always stirs up discord.
15 Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.
Therefore his disaster will overtake him in an instant; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.
16 These six [things] doth the LORD hate: yea, seven [are] an abomination unto him:
There are six things that Yahweh hates, seven that are disgusting to him.
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
The eyes of a proud person, a tongue that lies, hands that shed the blood of innocent people,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
a heart that invents wicked schemes, feet that quickly run to do evil,
19 A false witness [that] speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
a witness who breathes out lies and one who sows discord among brothers.
20 My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
My son, obey the command of your father and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.
21 Bind them continually upon thine heart, [and] tie them about thy neck.
Always bind them on your heart; tie them about your neck.
22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and [when] thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; and when you wake up, they will teach you.
23 For the commandment [is] a lamp; and the law [is] light; and reproofs of instruction [are] the way of life:
For the commands are a lamp, and the teaching is a light; the corrections that come by instruction are the way of life.
24 To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
It keeps you from the immoral woman, from the smooth words of an immoral woman.
25 Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.
Do not lust in your heart after her beauty and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes.
26 For by means of a whorish woman [a man is brought] to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life.
Sleeping with a prostitute can cost the price of a loaf of bread, but the wife of another may cost you your very life.
27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?
Can a man carry a fire against his chest without burning his clothes?
28 Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?
Can a man walk on hot coals without scorching his feet?
29 So he that goeth in to his neighbour’s wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.
So is the man who sleeps with his neighbor's wife; the one who sleeps with her will not go unpunished.
30 [Men] do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;
People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his need when he is hungry.
31 But [if] he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.
Yet if he is caught, he will pay back seven times what he stole; he must give up everything of value in his house.
32 [But] whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he [that] doeth it destroyeth his own soul.
The one who commits adultery has no sense; the one who does it destroys himself.
33 A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.
Wounds and shame are what he deserves and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy [is] the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
For jealousy makes a man furious; he will show no mercy when he takes his revenge.
35 He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.
He will accept no compensation and he cannot be bought off, though you offer him many gifts.
