Proverbs 6
1 My son, if thou have become surety for thy neighbour, —have struck for a stranger thy hands,
[My] son, if thou become surety for thy friend, thou shalt deliver thine hand to an enemy.
2 Thou hast been snared by the sayings of thy mouth, —thou hast been caught by the sayings 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 Do this then, my son, and deliver thyself, When thou hast come into the hand of thy neighbour, Go, haste thee, and urge thy neighbour;
[My] son, do what I command thee, and deliver thyself; for on thy friend's account thou art come into the power of evil [men]: faint not, but stir up even thy friend for whom thou art become surety.
4 Do not give sleep to thine eyes, or slumber to thine eyelashes;
Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber with thine eyelids;
5 Deliver thyself, as a gazelle out of the hand, and as a bird, out of the hand of the fowler.
that thou mayest deliver thyself as a doe out of the toils, and as a bird out of a snare.
6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard, observe her ways, and be wise;
Go to the ant, O sluggard; and see, and emulate his ways, and become wiser than he.
7 Which, having no harvest, scribe, or ruler,
For whereas he has no husbandry, nor any one to compel him, and is under no master,
8 Prepareth, in the summer, her food, hath collected, in the harvest, her sustenance.
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? how long ere thou rise from thy sleep?
How long wilt thou lie, O sluggard? and when wilt thou awake out of sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest: —
Thou sleepest a little, and thou restest a little, and thou slumberest a short [time], and thou foldest thine arms over thy breast a little.
11 So shall come in, as a highwayman, thy poverty, and, thy want, as one armed with a shield.
Then poverty comes upon thee as an evil traveller, and want as a swift courier: but if thou be diligent, thine harvest shall arrive as a fountain, and poverty shall flee away as a bad courier.
12 An abandoned man, a man of iniquity, [is he] who—goeth on in perversity of mouth;
A foolish man and a transgressor goes in ways that are not good.
13 Winketh with his eyes, speaketh with his foot, 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 [Hath] perverse things in his heart, deviseth mischief on every occasion, strifes, he sendeth forth.
[His] perverse heart devises evils: at all times such a one causes troubles to a city.
15 For this cause, suddenly cometh his doom, in a moment, shall he be torn in pieces and there be no mending.
Therefore his destruction shall come suddenly; overthrow and irretrievable ruin.
16 These six things, doth Yahweh hate, yea, seven, are the abomination of his soul: —
For he rejoices in all things which God hates, and he is ruined by reason of impurity of soul.
17 Eyes that are lofty, a tongue that is false, and hands shedding innocent blood;
The eye of the haughty, a tongue unjust, hands shedding the blood of the just;
18 A heart contriving iniquitous devices, feet hasting to run into mischief;
and a heart devising evil thoughts, and feet hastening to do evil, —[are hateful to God].
19 One that uttereth lies—a false witness, and one sending forth strifes between brethren.
An unjust witness kindles falsehoods, and brings on quarrels between brethren.
20 Observe thou, my son, the commandment of thy father, and do not decline from the instruction of thy mother:
[My] son, keep the laws of thy father, and reject not the ordinances of thy mother:
21 Bind them upon thy heart continually, fasten them upon thy neck;
but bind them upon thy soul continually, and hang them as a chain about thy neck.
22 When thou walkest abroad, it shall guide thee, when thou sleepest, it shall watch over thee, when thou wakest, it shall speak to thee:
Whensoever thou walkest, lead this along and let it be with thee; that it may talk with thee when thou wakest.
23 For, a lamp, is the commandment, and, the instruction, a light, and, the way of life, are the reproofs of correction:
For the commandment of the law is a lamp and a light; a way of life; reproof also and correction:
24 To keep thee from the wicked woman, from the flattery of the tongue of her that is a stranger.
to keep thee continually from a married woman, and from the calumny of a strange tongue.
25 Do not covet her beauty, in thy heart, neither let her take thee, by her eyelashes;
Let not the desire of beauty overcome thee, neither be thou caught by thine eyes, neither be captivated with her eyelids.
26 Because, for the sake of an impure woman, [a man may be brought] even to a cake of bread, —and, a man’s wife, for a precious soul, may hunt!
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 snatch up fire in his bosom, and, his clothes, not be burned?
Shall any one bind fire in his bosom, and not burn his garments?
28 Or can a man walk upon hot coals, and, his feet, not be burned?
or will any one walk on coals of fire, and not burn his feet?
29 So, he that goeth in unto his neighbour’s wife, no man shall be guiltless who toucheth her!
So is he that goes in to a married woman; he shall not be held guiltless, neither any one that touches her.
30 Men despise not a thief, when he stealeth, to satisfy his appetite, because he is famished;
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 Yet, if found, he must pay back sevenfold, All the substance of 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 He that committeth adultery with a woman, lacketh sense, A destroyer of his own life, is he that doeth it;
But the adulterer through want of sense procures destruction to his soul.
33 Smiting and shame, shall he find, and, his reproach, shall not be wiped out;
He endures both pain and disgrace, and his reproach shall never be wiped off.
34 For, jealousy, is the rage of a man, nor will he spare, in the day of avenging;
For the soul of her husband is full of jealousy: he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35 He will not look, at any ransom, neither will he consent, though thou increase the bribe.
He will not forego [his] enmity for any ransom: neither will he be reconciled for many gifts.
