Proverbs 6
1 My son! If you have been guarantor for your friend, Have struck your hand for a stranger,
My son, if you have become collateral for your neighbour, if you have struck your hands in pledge for a stranger,
2 Have been snared with sayings of your mouth, Have been captured with sayings of your mouth,
you are trapped by the words of your mouth; you are ensnared with the words of your mouth.
3 Do this now, my son, and be delivered, For you have come into the hand of your friend. Go, trample on yourself, and strengthen your friend,
Do this now, my son, and deliver yourself, since you have come into the hand of your neighbour. Go, humble yourself. Press your plea with your neighbour.
4 Do not give sleep to your eyes, And slumber to your eyelids,
Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids.
5 Be delivered as a roe from the hand, And as a bird from the hand of a fowler.
Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.
6 Go to the ant, O slothful one, See her ways and be wise;
Go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider her ways, and be wise;
7 Which has no captain, overseer, and ruler,
which having no chief, overseer, or ruler,
8 She prepares her bread in summer, She has gathered her food in harvest.
provides her bread in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.
9 Until when, O slothful one, do you lie? When do you arise from your sleep?
How long will you sleep, sluggard? When will you arise out of your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, A little clasping of the hands to rest,
A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep—
11 And your poverty has come as a traveler, And your want as an armed man.
so your poverty will come as a robber, and your scarcity as an armed man.
12 A man of worthlessness, a man of iniquity, Walking [with] perverseness of mouth,
A worthless person, a man of iniquity, is he who walks with a perverse mouth,
13 Winking with his eyes, speaking with his feet, Directing with his fingers,
who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet, who motions with his fingers,
14 Contrariness [is] in his heart, devising evil at all times, He sends forth contentions.
in whose heart is perverseness, who devises evil continually, who always sows discord.
15 Therefore his calamity comes suddenly, He is broken instantly—and no healing.
Therefore his calamity will come suddenly. He will be broken suddenly, and that without remedy.
16 These six has YHWH hated, Indeed, seven [are] abominations to His soul:
There are six things which the LORD hates; yes, seven which are an abomination to him:
17 High eyes, False tongues, And hands shedding innocent blood,
arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart devising thoughts of vanity, Feet hastening to run to evil,
a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness [who] breathes out lies, And one sending forth contentions between brothers.
a false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord amongst brothers.
20 Keep, my son, the command of your father, And do not leave the law of your mother.
My son, keep your father’s commandment, and don’t forsake your mother’s teaching.
21 Bind them on your heart continually, Tie them on your neck.
Bind them continually on your heart. Tie them around your neck.
22 In your going up and down, it leads you, In your lying down, it watches over you, And you have awoken—it talks [with] you.
When you walk, it will lead you. When you sleep, it will watch over you. When you awake, it will talk with you.
23 For the command [is] a lamp, And the Law a light, And a way of life [are] reproofs of instruction,
For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light. Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,
24 To preserve you from an evil woman, From the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
to keep you from the immoral woman, from the flattery of the wayward wife’s tongue.
25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart, And do not let her take you with her eyelids.
Don’t lust after her beauty in your heart, neither let her captivate you with her eyelids.
26 For a harlot consumes to a cake of bread, And an adulteress hunts the precious soul.
For a prostitute reduces you to a piece of bread. The adulteress hunts for your precious life.
27 Does a man take fire into his bosom, And are his garments not burned?
Can a man scoop fire into his lap, and his clothes not be burnt?
28 Does a man walk on the hot coals, And are his feet not scorched?
Or can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be scorched?
29 So [is] he who has gone in to the wife of his neighbor, None who touches her is innocent.
So is he who goes in to his neighbour’s wife. Whoever touches her will not be unpunished.
30 They do not despise the thief, When he steals to fill his soul when he is hungry,
Men don’t despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry,
31 And being found he repays sevenfold, He gives all the substance of his house.
but if he is found, he shall restore seven times. He shall give all the wealth of his house.
32 He who commits adultery [with] a woman lacks heart, He who does it is destroying his soul.
He who commits adultery with a woman is void of understanding. He who does it destroys his own soul.
33 He finds a stroke and shame, And his reproach is not wiped away,
He will get wounds and dishonour. His reproach will not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy [is] the fury of a man, And he does not spare in a day of vengeance.
For jealousy arouses the fury of the husband. He won’t spare in the day of vengeance.
35 He does not accept the appearance of any atonement, Indeed, he does not consent, Though you multiply bribes!
He won’t regard any ransom, neither will he rest content, though you give many gifts.
