Proverbs 6
1 [My] son, if you become surety for your friend, you shall deliver your hand to an enemy.
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 For a man's own lips become a strong snare to him, and he is caught with the lips of his own mouth.
then you have laid a trap for yourself by your promise and you have been caught by the words of your 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.
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 your eyes, nor slumber with your eyelids;
Give your eyes no sleep and your eyelids no slumber.
5 that you may deliver yourself as a doe out of the toils, and as a bird out of a snare.
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, O sluggard; and see, and emulate his ways, and become wiser than he.
Look at the ant, you lazy person, consider her ways, and be wise.
7 For whereas he has no husbandry, nor any one to compel him, and is under no master,
It has no commander, officer, 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.
yet it prepares its food in the summer and during the harvest it stores up what it will eat.
9 How long will you lie, O sluggard? and when will you awake out of sleep?
How long will you sleep, you lazy person? When will you rise from your 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.
“A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest”—
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.
and your poverty will come like a robber and your needs like an armed soldier.
12 A foolish man and a transgressor goes in ways that are not good.
A worthless person—a wicked man— lives by the crookedness of his speech,
13 And the same winks with the eye, and makes a sign with his foot, and teaches with the beckonings of his fingers.
winking his eyes, making signals with his feet and pointing with his fingers.
14 [His] perverse heart devises evils: at all times such a one causes troubles to a city.
He plots evil with deceit in his heart; he always stirs up discord.
15 Therefore his destruction shall come suddenly; overthrow and irretrievable ruin.
Therefore his disaster will overtake him in an instant; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.
16 For he rejoices in all things which God hates, and he is ruined by reason of impurity of soul.
There are six things that Yahweh hates, seven that are disgusting to him.
17 The eye of the haughty, a tongue unjust, hands shedding the blood of the just;
The eyes of a proud person, a tongue that lies, hands that shed the blood of innocent people,
18 and a heart devising evil thoughts, and feet hastening to do evil, —[are hateful to God].
a heart that invents wicked schemes, feet that quickly run to do evil,
19 An unjust witness kindles falsehoods, and brings on quarrels between brethren.
a witness who breathes out lies and one who sows discord among brothers.
20 [My] son, keep the laws of your father, and reject not the ordinances of your mother:
My son, obey the command of your father and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.
21 but bind them upon your soul continually, and hang them as a chain about your neck.
Always bind them on your heart; tie them about your neck.
22 Whenever you walk, lead this along and let it be with you; that it may talk with you when you wake.
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 of the law is a lamp and a light; a way of life; reproof also and correction:
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 you continually from a married woman, and from the calumny of a strange tongue.
It keeps you from the immoral woman, from the smooth words of an immoral woman.
25 Let not the desire of beauty overcome you, neither be you caught by your eyes, neither be captivated with her eyelids.
Do not lust in your heart after her beauty and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes.
26 For the value of a harlot is as much as of one loaf; and a woman hunts for the precious souls of men.
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 Shall any one bind fire in his bosom, and not burn his garments?
Can a man carry a fire against his chest without burning his clothes?
28 or will any one walk on coals of fire, and not burn his feet?
Can a man walk on hot coals without scorching his feet?
29 So is he that goes in to a married woman; he shall not be held guiltless, neither any one that touches her.
So is the man who sleeps with his neighbor's wife; the one who sleeps with her will not go unpunished.
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:
People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his need when he is hungry.
31 but if he should be taken, he shall repay sevenfold, and shall deliver himself by giving all his goods.
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 the adulterer through lack of sense procures destruction to his soul.
The one who commits adultery has no sense; the one who does it destroys himself.
33 He endures both pain and disgrace, and his reproach shall never be wiped off.
Wounds and shame are what he deserves and his disgrace will 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 makes a man furious; he will show no mercy when he takes his revenge.
35 He will not forego [his] enmity for any ransom: neither will he be reconciled for many gifts.
He will accept no compensation and he cannot be bought off, though you offer him many gifts.
