Proverbs 6
1 My son, if thou hast become surety for another, If thou hast stricken hands for another,
My son! If you have been guarantor for your friend, Have struck your hand for a stranger,
2 If thou hast become ensnared by the words of thy mouth, If thou hast been caught by the words of thy mouth,
Have been snared with sayings of your mouth, Have been captured with sayings of your mouth,
3 Do this now, my son, and rescue thyself, —Since thou hast fallen into the hands of thy neighbor, —Go, prostrate thyself, and be urgent with thy neighbor!
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,
4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids;
Do not give sleep to your eyes, And slumber to your eyelids,
5 Rescue thyself, as a roe from the hand, And as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
Be delivered as a roe from the hand, And as a bird from the hand of a fowler.
6 Go to the ant, O sluggard! Consider her ways, and be wise!
Go to the ant, O slothful one, See her ways and be wise;
7 She hath no governor, Nor overseer, nor ruler;
Which has no captain, overseer, and ruler,
8 Yet she prepareth in the summer her food, She gathereth in the harvest her meat.
She prepares her bread in summer, She has gathered her food in harvest.
9 How long wilt thou lie in bed, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise from thy sleep?
Until when, O slothful one, do you lie? When do you arise from your sleep?
10 “A little sleep, —a little slumber, —A little folding of the hands to rest:”
A little sleep, a little slumber, A little clasping of the hands to rest,
11 So shall thy poverty come upon thee like a robber, Yea, thy want, as an armed man!
And your poverty has come as a traveler, And your want as an armed man.
12 A worthless wretch is the unrighteous man, Who walketh with a deceitful mouth;
A man of worthlessness, a man of iniquity, Walking [with] perverseness of mouth,
13 Who winketh with his eyes, Speaketh with his feet, And teacheth with his fingers.
Winking with his eyes, speaking with his feet, Directing with his fingers,
14 Fraud is in his heart; He deviseth mischief continually; He scattereth contentions.
Contrariness [is] in his heart, devising evil at all times, He sends forth contentions.
15 Therefore shall calamity come upon him suddenly; In a moment shall he be destroyed, and that without remedy;
Therefore his calamity comes suddenly, He is broken instantly—and no healing.
16 These six things doth the LORD hate; Yea, seven are an abomination to him:
These six has YHWH hated, Indeed, seven [are] abominations to His soul:
17 Lofty eyes, a false tongue, And hands which shed innocent blood;
High eyes, False tongues, And hands shedding innocent blood,
18 A heart that contriveth wicked devices; Feet that are swift in running to mischief,
A heart devising thoughts of vanity, Feet hastening to run to evil,
19 A false witness, that uttereth lies, And him that soweth discord among brethren.
A false witness [who] breathes out lies, And one sending forth contentions between brothers.
20 Keep, O my son! the commandment of thy father, And forsake not the precepts of thy mother!
Keep, my son, the command of your father, And do not leave the law of your mother.
21 Bind them continually to thy heart, Tie them around thy neck!
Bind them on your heart continually, Tie them on your neck.
22 When thou goest forth, they shall guide thee; When thou sleepest, they shall watch over thee; And, when thou awakest, they shall talk with thee.
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.
23 For the commandment is a lamp, and instruction a light; Yea, the rebukes of correction lead to life.
For the command [is] a lamp, And the Law a light, And a way of life [are] reproofs of instruction,
24 They shall guard thee from the evil woman, From the smooth tongue of the unchaste woman.
To preserve you from an evil woman, From the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
25 Desire not her beauty in thy heart, Nor let her catch thee with her eyelids;
Do not desire her beauty in your heart, And do not let her take you with her eyelids.
26 For by a harlot a man is brought to a morsel of bread, And the adulteress layeth snares for the precious life.
For a harlot consumes to a cake of bread, And an adulteress hunts the precious soul.
27 Can a man take fire into his bosom, And his clothes not be burned?
Does a man take fire into his bosom, And are his garments not burned?
28 Can one walk upon burning coals, And his feet not be scorched?
Does a man walk on the hot coals, And are his feet not scorched?
29 So is it with him who goeth in to his neighbor's wife; Whoever toucheth her shall not go unpunished.
So [is] he who has gone in to the wife of his neighbor, None who touches her is innocent.
30 Men do not overlook a thief, Though he steal to satisfy his appetite, when he is hungry;
They do not despise the thief, When he steals to fill his soul when he is hungry,
31 If found, he must repay sevenfold, And give up all the substance of his house.
And being found he repays sevenfold, He gives all the substance of his house.
32 Whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding; He that doeth it destroyeth himself;
He who commits adultery [with] a woman lacks heart, He who does it is destroying his soul.
33 Blows and dishonor shall he get, And his reproach shall not be wiped away.
He finds a stroke and shame, And his reproach is not wiped away,
34 For jealousy is the fury of a man; He will not spare in the day of vengeance;
For jealousy [is] the fury of a man, And he does not spare in a day of vengeance.
35 And he will not pay regard to any ransom, Nor be content, though thou offer many gifts.
He does not accept the appearance of any atonement, Indeed, he does not consent, Though you multiply bribes!
