Proverbs 6
1 [My] son, if you become surety for your friend, you shall deliver your hand to an enemy.
My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,
2 For a man's own lips become a strong snare to him, and he is caught with the lips of his own mouth.
Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.
3 [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.
Do this now, my son, deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.
4 Give not sleep to your eyes, nor slumber with your eyelids;
Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.
5 that you may deliver yourself as a doe out of the toils, and as a bird out of a snare.
Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6 Go to the ant, O sluggard; and see, and emulate his ways, and become wiser than he.
Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
7 For whereas he has no husbandry, nor any one to compel him, and is under no master,
Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
8 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 labors 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.
Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
9 How long will you lie, O sluggard? and when will you awake out of sleep?
How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
10 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.
Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
11 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.
So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
12 A foolish man and a transgressor goes in ways that are not good.
A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.
13 And the same winks with the eye, and makes a sign with his foot, and teaches with the beckonings of his fingers.
He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;
14 [His] perverse heart devises evils: at all times such a one causes troubles to a city.
Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.
15 Therefore his destruction shall come suddenly; overthrow and irretrievable ruin.
Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.
16 For he rejoices in all things which God hates, and he is ruined by reason of impurity of soul.
These six things doth YHWH hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17 The eye of the haughty, a tongue unjust, hands shedding the blood of the just;
A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 and a heart devising evil thoughts, and feet hastening to do evil, —[are hateful to God].
An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 An unjust witness kindles falsehoods, and brings on quarrels between brethren.
A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
20 [My] son, keep the laws of your father, and reject not the ordinances of your mother:
My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
21 but bind them upon your soul continually, and hang them as a chain about your neck.
Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.
22 Whenever you walk, lead this along and let it be with you; that it may talk with you when you wake.
When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
23 For the commandment of the law is a lamp and a light; a way of life; reproof also and correction:
For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
24 to keep you continually from a married woman, and from the calumny of a strange tongue.
To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
25 Let not the desire of beauty overcome you, neither be you caught by your eyes, neither be captivated with her eyelids.
Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.
26 For the value of a harlot is as much as of one loaf; and a woman hunts for the precious souls of men.
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.
27 Shall any one bind fire in his bosom, and not burn his garments?
Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?
28 or will any one walk on coals of fire, and not burn his feet?
Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?
29 So is he that goes in to a married woman; he shall not be held guiltless, neither any one that touches her.
So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.
30 It is not to be wondered at if one should be taken stealing, for he steals that when hungry he may satisfy his soul:
Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;
31 but if he should be taken, he shall repay sevenfold, and shall deliver himself by giving all his goods.
But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.
32 But the adulterer through lack of sense procures destruction to his soul.
But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.
33 He endures both pain and disgrace, and his reproach shall never be wiped off.
A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.
34 For the soul of her husband is full of jealousy: he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35 He will not forego [his] enmity for any ransom: neither will he be reconciled for many gifts.
He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.
