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 you become surety for your friend, you shall deliver your hand to an enemy.
2 If thou art ensnared through the words of thy mouth, if thou art caught through the words of thy mouth:
For a man's own lips become a strong snare to him, and he is caught with the lips of his own 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.
[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.
4 Grant not any sleep to thy eyes, nor slumber to thy eyelids.
Give not sleep to your eyes, nor slumber with your eyelids;
5 Deliver thyself as a roebuck from the hand [of the hunter], and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
that you may deliver yourself as a doe out of the toils, and as a bird out of a snare.
6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; look on her ways, and become wise.
Go to the ant, O sluggard; and see, and emulate his ways, and become wiser than he.
7 She, that hath no prince, officer, or ruler,
For whereas he has no husbandry, nor any one to compel him, and is under no master,
8 Provideth in the summer her provision, gathereth in harvest-time her food.
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 labours 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.
9 How long, O sluggard, wilt thou lie down? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
How long will you lie, O sluggard? and when will you awake out of sleep?
10 “A little [more] sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands in lying down;”
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.
11 But then will thy poverty come like a rover, and thy want as a man armed with a shield.
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.
12 A Godless person is a man of injustice, who walketh with a distorted mouth.
A foolish man and a transgressor goes in ways that are not good.
13 He blinketh with his eyes, he scrapeth with his feet, he pointeth with his fingers;
And the same winks with the eye, and makes a sign with his foot, and teaches with the beckonings of his fingers.
14 Perverseness is in his heart, he contriveth evil at all times; he scattereth abroad discord.
[His] perverse heart devises evils: at all times such a one causes troubles to a city.
15 Therefore shall suddenly come his calamity: unawares shalt he be broken without a remedy.
Therefore his destruction shall come suddenly; overthrow and irretrievable ruin.
16 Six things there are which the Lord hateth; and seven are an abomination unto his spirit:
For he rejoices in all things which God hates, and he is ruined by reason of impurity of soul.
17 Haughty eyes, a tongue of falsehood, and hands that shed innocent blood,
The eye of the haughty, a tongue unjust, hands shedding the blood of the just;
18 A heart that contriveth plans of injustice, feet that hasten to run after evil,
and a heart devising evil thoughts, and feet hastening to do evil, —[are hateful to God].
19 A false witness that eagerly uttereth lies, and him that scattereth abroad discord among brethren.
An unjust witness kindles falsehoods, and brings on quarrels between brethren.
20 Keep, O my son, the commandment of thy father, and reject not the teaching of thy mother:
[My] son, keep the laws of your father, and reject not the ordinances of your mother:
21 Bind them upon thy heart continually, tie them about thy throat.
but bind them upon your soul continually, and hang them as a chain about your 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.
Whenever you walk, lead this along and let it be with you; that it may talk with you when you wake.
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 of the law is a lamp and a light; a way of life; reproof also and correction:
24 To guard thee against a bad woman, from the flattery of an alien tongue.
to keep you continually from a married woman, and from the calumny of a strange tongue.
25 Covet not her beauty in thy heart, and let her not conquer thee with her eyelids.
Let not the desire of beauty overcome you, neither be you caught by your eyes, neither be captivated 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 the value of a harlot is as much as of one loaf; and a woman hunts for the precious souls of men.
27 Can a man gather up fire in his lap, and shall his clothes not be burnt?
Shall any one bind fire in his bosom, and not burn his garments?
28 Can a man walk along upon hot coals, and shall his feet not be burnt?
or will any one walk on coals of fire, and not burn his feet?
29 So it is with him that goeth in to his neighbor's wife: no one that toucheth her shall remain unpunished.
So is he that goes in to a married woman; he shall not be held guiltless, neither any one that touches her.
30 Men do not despise the thief, if he steal, to gratify his craving when he is hungry:
It is not to be wondered at if one should be taken stealing, for he steals that when hungry he may satisfy his soul:
31 And if he be found, he must pay sevenfold; all the wealth his house must he give.
but if he should be taken, he shall repay sevenfold, and shall deliver himself by giving all his goods.
32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh sense: he that is the destroyer of his soul, will alone do this.
But the adulterer through lack of sense procures destruction to his soul.
33 Plague and disgrace will he meet with; and his reproach will not be blotted out.
He endures both pain and disgrace, and his reproach shall never be wiped off.
34 For jealousy is the fury of a husband, and he will not spare on the day of vengeance.
For the soul of her husband is full of jealousy: 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 forego [his] enmity for any ransom: neither will he be reconciled for many gifts.
