Proverbs 6
1 My son, if you have become collateral for your neighbor, if you have struck your hand in pledge for a stranger;
My son, If thou hast become surety for thy friend, if thou hast struck thy hand for a stranger;
2 You are trapped by the words of your mouth. You are ensnared with the words of your mouth.
If thou art ensnared through the words of thy mouth, if thou art caught through the words of thy mouth:
3 Do this now, my son, and deliver yourself, seeing you have come into the hand of your neighbor. Go, humble yourself. Press your plea with your neighbor.
[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.
4 Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids.
Grant not any sleep to thy eyes, nor slumber to thy eyelids.
5 Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.
Deliver thyself as a roebuck from the hand [of the hunter], and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider her ways, and be wise;
Go to the ant, thou sluggard; look on her ways, and become wise.
7 which having no chief, overseer, or ruler,
She, that hath no prince, officer, or ruler,
8 provides her bread in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.
Provideth in the summer her provision, gathereth in harvest-time her food.
9 How long will you sleep, sluggard? When will you arise out of your sleep?
How long, O sluggard, wilt thou lie down? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
“A little [more] sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands in lying down;”
11 so your poverty will come as a robber, and your scarcity as an armed man.
But then will thy poverty come like a rover, and thy want as a man armed with a shield.
12 A worthless person, a man of iniquity, is he who walks with a perverse mouth;
A Godless person is a man of injustice, who walketh with a distorted mouth.
13 who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet, who motions with his fingers;
He blinketh with his eyes, he scrapeth with his feet, he pointeth with his fingers;
14 in whose heart is perverseness, who devises evil continually, who always sows discord.
Perverseness is in his heart, he contriveth evil at all times; he scattereth abroad discord.
15 Therefore his calamity will come suddenly. He will be broken suddenly, and that without remedy.
Therefore shall suddenly come his calamity: unawares shalt he be broken without a remedy.
16 There are six things which Jehovah hates; yes, seven which are an abomination to him:
Six things there are which the Lord hateth; and seven are an abomination unto his spirit:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood;
Haughty eyes, a tongue of falsehood, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are swift in running to mischief,
A heart that contriveth plans of injustice, feet that hasten to run after evil,
19 a false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.
A false witness that eagerly uttereth lies, and him that scattereth abroad discord among brethren.
20 My son, keep your father's commandment, and do not forsake your mother's teaching.
Keep, O my son, the commandment of thy father, and reject not the teaching of thy mother:
21 Bind them continually on your heart. Tie them around your neck.
Bind them upon thy heart continually, tie them about thy throat.
22 When you walk, it will lead you. When you sleep, it will watch over you. When you awake, it will talk with you.
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.
23 For the commandment is a lamp, and the Law is light. Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,
For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light; and the way of life are the admonitions of correction:
24 to keep you from the immoral woman, from the flattery of the foreign woman.
To guard thee against a bad woman, from the flattery of an alien tongue.
25 Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, neither let her captivate you with her eyelids.
Covet not her beauty in thy heart, and let her not conquer thee with her eyelids.
26 For a prostitute reduces you to a piece of bread. The adulteress hunts for your precious life.
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,
27 Can a man scoop fire into his lap, and his clothes not be burned?
Can a man gather up fire in his lap, and shall his clothes not be burnt?
28 Or can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be scorched?
Can a man walk along upon hot coals, and shall his feet not be burnt?
29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor's wife. Whoever touches her will not be unpunished.
So it is with him that goeth in to his neighbor's wife: no one that toucheth her shall remain unpunished.
30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry:
Men do not despise the thief, if he steal, to gratify his craving when he is hungry:
31 but if he is found, he must repay seven times. He shall give all the wealth of his house.
And if he be found, he must pay sevenfold; all the wealth his house must he give.
32 He who commits adultery with a woman is void of understanding. He who does it destroys his own soul.
But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh sense: he that is the destroyer of his soul, will alone do this.
33 He will get wounds and dishonor. His reproach will not be wiped away.
Plague and disgrace will he meet with; and his reproach will not be blotted out.
34 For jealousy arouses the fury of the husband. He won't spare in the day of vengeance.
For jealousy is the fury of a husband, and he will not spare on the day of vengeance.
35 He won't regard any ransom, neither will he rest content, though you give many gifts.
He will not regard the appearance of any ransom; and he will not be content, though thou give ever so many bribes.
