< Proverbs 6 >

1 My son, If thou hast become surety for thy friend, if thou hast struck thy hand for a stranger;
My son, if thou art become surety for thy neighbor, If thou hast stricken thy hands for a stranger;
2 If thou art ensnared through the words of thy mouth, if thou art caught through the words of thy mouth:
Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, Thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.
3 [Then] do this by all means, my son, and deliver thyself, because thou art come into the power of thy friend, Go hasten to him, and urge thy friend.
Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, Seeing thou art come into the hand of thy neighbor: Go, humble thyself, and importune thy neighbor;
4 Grant not any sleep to thy eyes, nor slumber to thy eyelids.
Give not sleep to thine eyes, Nor slumber to thine eyelids;
5 Deliver thyself as a roebuck from the hand [of the hunter], and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
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, thou sluggard; look on her ways, and become wise.
Go to the ant, thou sluggard; Consider her ways, and be wise:
7 She, that hath no prince, officer, or ruler,
Which having no chief, Overseer, or ruler,
8 Provideth in the summer her provision, gathereth in harvest-time her food.
Provideth her bread in the summer, And gathereth her food in the harvest.
9 How long, O sluggard, wilt thou lie down? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
10 “A little [more] sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands in lying down;”
[Yet] a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep:
11 But then will thy poverty come like a rover, and thy want as a man armed with a shield.
So shall thy poverty come as a robber, And thy want as an armed man.
12 A Godless person is a man of injustice, who walketh with a distorted mouth.
A worthless person, a man of iniquity, Is he that walketh with a perverse mouth;
13 He blinketh with his eyes, he scrapeth with his feet, he pointeth with his fingers;
That winketh with his eyes, that speaketh with his feet, That maketh signs with his fingers;
14 Perverseness is in his heart, he contriveth evil at all times; he scattereth abroad discord.
In whose heart is perverseness, Who deviseth evil continually, Who soweth discord.
15 Therefore shall suddenly come his calamity: unawares shalt he be broken without a remedy.
Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; On a sudden shall he be broken, and that without remedy.
16 Six things there are which the Lord hateth; and seven are an abomination unto his spirit:
There are six things which Jehovah hateth; Yea, seven which are an abomination unto him:
17 Haughty eyes, a tongue of falsehood, and hands that shed innocent blood,
Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood;
18 A heart that contriveth plans of injustice, feet that hasten to run after evil,
A heart that deviseth wicked purposes, Feet that are swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that eagerly uttereth lies, and him that scattereth abroad discord among brethren.
A false witness that uttereth lies, And he that soweth discord among brethren.
20 Keep, O my son, the commandment of thy father, and reject not the teaching of thy mother:
My son, keep the commandment of thy father, And forsake not the law of thy mother:
21 Bind them upon thy heart continually, tie them about thy throat.
Bind them continually upon thy heart; Tie them about thy neck.
22 When thou walkest, it shall lead thee; when thou liest down, it shall watch over thee; and when thou art awake, it shall converse with thee.
When thou walkest, it shall lead thee; When thou sleepest, it shall watch over thee; And when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
23 For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light; and the way of life are the admonitions of correction:
For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; And reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
24 To guard thee against a bad woman, from the flattery of an alien tongue.
To keep thee from the evil woman, From the flattery of the foreigner’s tongue.
25 Covet not her beauty in thy heart, and let her not conquer thee with her eyelids.
Lust not after her beauty in thy heart; Neither let her take thee with her eyelids.
26 For by means of a harlot [one is brought down] to the last loaf of bread: and an adulterous woman will even hunt for the precious life,
For on account of a harlot [a man is brought] to a piece of bread; And the adulteress hunteth for the precious life.
27 Can a man gather up fire in his lap, and shall his clothes not be burnt?
Can a man take fire in his bosom, And his clothes not be burned?
28 Can a man walk along upon hot coals, and shall his feet not be burnt?
Or can one walk upon hot coals, And his feet not be scorched?
29 So it is with him that goeth in to his neighbor's wife: no one that toucheth her shall remain unpunished.
So he that goeth in to his neighbor’s wife; Whosoever toucheth her shall not be unpunished.
30 Men do not despise the thief, if he steal, to gratify his craving when he is hungry:
Men do not despise a thief, if he steal To satisfy himself when he is hungry:
31 And if he be found, he must pay sevenfold; all the wealth his house must he give.
But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; He shall give all the substance of his house.
32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh sense: he that is the destroyer of his soul, will alone do this.
He that committeth adultery with a woman is void of understanding: He doeth it who would destroy his own soul.
33 Plague and disgrace will he meet with; and his reproach will not be blotted out.
Wounds and dishonor shall he get; And his reproach shall not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy is the fury of a husband, and he will not spare on the day of vengeance.
For jealousy is the rage of a man; And he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35 He will not regard the appearance of any ransom; and he will not be content, though thou give ever so many bribes.
He will not regard any ransom; Neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.

< Proverbs 6 >