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 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 If thou art ensnared through the words of thy mouth, if thou art caught through 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 [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.
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 Grant not any sleep to thy eyes, nor slumber to thy eyelids.
Give your eyes no sleep and your eyelids no slumber.
5 Deliver thyself as a roebuck 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; look on her ways, and become wise.
Look at the ant, you lazy person, consider her ways, and be wise.
7 She, that hath no prince, officer, or ruler,
It has no commander, officer, or ruler,
8 Provideth in the summer her provision, gathereth in harvest-time her food.
yet it prepares its food in the summer and during the harvest it stores up what it will eat.
9 How long, O sluggard, wilt thou lie down? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
How long will you sleep, you lazy person? When will you rise from your sleep?
10 “A little [more] sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands in lying down;”
“A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest”—
11 But then will thy poverty come like a rover, and thy want as a man armed with a shield.
and your poverty will come like a robber and your needs like an armed soldier.
12 A Godless person is a man of injustice, who walketh with a distorted mouth.
A worthless person—a wicked man— lives by the crookedness of his speech,
13 He blinketh with his eyes, he scrapeth with his feet, he pointeth with his fingers;
winking his eyes, making signals with his feet and pointing with his fingers.
14 Perverseness is in his heart, he contriveth evil at all times; he scattereth abroad discord.
He plots evil with deceit in his heart; he always stirs up discord.
15 Therefore shall suddenly come his calamity: unawares shalt he be broken without a remedy.
Therefore his disaster will overtake him in an instant; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.
16 Six things there are which the Lord hateth; and seven are an abomination unto his spirit:
There are six things that Yahweh hates, seven that are disgusting to him.
17 Haughty eyes, a tongue of falsehood, 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 A heart that contriveth plans of injustice, feet that hasten to run after evil,
a heart that invents wicked schemes, feet that quickly run to do evil,
19 A false witness that eagerly uttereth lies, and him that scattereth abroad discord among brethren.
a witness who breathes out lies and one who sows discord among brothers.
20 Keep, O my son, the commandment of thy father, and reject not the teaching of thy mother:
My son, obey the command of your father and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.
21 Bind them upon thy heart continually, tie them about thy throat.
Always bind them on your heart; tie them 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.
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 the way of life are the admonitions of 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 guard thee against a bad woman, from the flattery of an alien tongue.
It keeps you from the immoral woman, from the smooth words of an immoral woman.
25 Covet not her beauty in thy heart, and let her not conquer 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 harlot [one is brought down] to the last loaf of bread: and an adulterous woman will even 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 gather up fire in his lap, and shall his clothes not be burnt?
Can a man carry a fire against his chest without burning his clothes?
28 Can a man walk along upon hot coals, and shall his feet not be burnt?
Can a man walk on hot coals without scorching 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 the man who sleeps with his neighbor's wife; the one who sleeps with her will not go unpunished.
30 Men do not despise the thief, if he steal, to gratify his craving when he is hungry:
People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his need when he is hungry.
31 And if he be found, he must pay sevenfold; all the wealth his house must he give.
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 sense: he that is the destroyer of his soul, will alone do this.
The one who commits adultery has no sense; the one who does it destroys himself.
33 Plague and disgrace will he meet with; and his reproach will not be blotted out.
Wounds and shame are what he deserves and his disgrace will 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 makes a man furious; he will show no mercy when he takes his revenge.
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 accept no compensation and he cannot be bought off, though you offer him many gifts.
