Proverbs 6
1 My son, if thou have become surety for thy neighbour, —have struck for a stranger thy hands,
My son, if you have taken a pledge on behalf of your friend, then you have bound your hand to an outsider,
2 Thou hast been snared by the sayings of thy mouth, —thou hast been caught by the sayings of thy mouth.
then you are ensnared by the words of your own mouth, and taken captive by your own words.
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;
Therefore, my son, do what I say, and free yourself, for you have fallen into the hand of your neighbor. Run, hurry, awaken your friend.
4 Do not give sleep to thine eyes, or slumber to thine eyelashes;
Do not grant sleep to your eyes, nor let your eyelids slumber.
5 Deliver thyself, as a gazelle out of the hand, and as a bird, out of the hand of the fowler.
Rescue yourself like a gazelle from the hand, and like a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard, observe her ways, and be wise;
Go to the ant, you lazy one, and consider her ways, and so learn wisdom.
7 Which, having no harvest, scribe, or ruler,
For though she has no ruler, nor instructor, nor leader,
8 Prepareth, in the summer, her food, hath collected, in the harvest, her sustenance.
she provides meals for herself in the summer, and she gathers at the harvest what she may eat.
9 How long, O sluggard, wilt thou lie? how long ere thou rise from thy sleep?
How long will you slumber, you lazy one? When will you rise up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest: —
You will sleep a little, you will slumber a little, you will fold your hands a little to sleep,
11 So shall come in, as a highwayman, thy poverty, and, thy want, as one armed with a shield.
and then destitution will meet with you, like a traveler, and poverty, like an armed man. Yet truly, if you would be diligent, then your harvest will arrive like a fountain, and destitution will flee far from you.
12 An abandoned man, a man of iniquity, [is he] who—goeth on in perversity of mouth;
An apostate man, a harmful man, walks with a perverse mouth;
13 Winketh with his eyes, speaketh with his foot, pointeth with his fingers;
he winks with the eyes, touches with the foot, speaks with the finger.
14 [Hath] perverse things in his heart, deviseth mischief on every occasion, strifes, he sendeth forth.
With a depraved heart he devises evil, and at all times he sows conflict.
15 For this cause, suddenly cometh his doom, in a moment, shall he be torn in pieces and there be no mending.
To this one, his perdition will arrive promptly, and he shall be crushed suddenly: he will no longer have any remedy.
16 These six things, doth Yahweh hate, yea, seven, are the abomination of his soul: —
Six things there are that the Lord hates, and the seventh, his soul detests:
17 Eyes that are lofty, a tongue that is false, and hands shedding innocent blood;
haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart contriving iniquitous devices, feet hasting to run into mischief;
a heart that devises the most wicked thoughts, feet running swiftly unto evil,
19 One that uttereth lies—a false witness, and one sending forth strifes between brethren.
a deceitful witness bringing forth lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.
20 Observe thou, my son, the commandment of thy father, and do not decline from the instruction of thy mother:
My son, preserve the precepts of your father, and do not dismiss the law of your mother.
21 Bind them upon thy heart continually, fasten them upon thy neck;
Bind them to your heart unceasingly, and encircle them around your throat.
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:
When you walk, let them keep step with you. When you sleep, let them guard you. And when you keep watch, speak with them.
23 For, a lamp, is the commandment, and, the instruction, a light, and, the way of life, are the reproofs of correction:
For commandment is a lamp, and law is a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life.
24 To keep thee from the wicked woman, from the flattery of the tongue of her that is a stranger.
So may they guard you from an evil woman, and from the flattering tongue of the outsider.
25 Do not covet her beauty, in thy heart, neither let her take thee, by her eyelashes;
Let not your heart desire her beauty; do not be captivated by her winks.
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 price of a prostitute is only one loaf. Yet the woman seizes the precious soul of a man.
27 Can a man snatch up fire in his bosom, and, his clothes, not be burned?
Would a man be able to conceal fire in his bosom, so that his garments would not burn?
28 Or can a man walk upon hot coals, and, his feet, not be burned?
Or could he walk over burning coals, so that his feet would not be burned?
29 So, he that goeth in unto his neighbour’s wife, no man shall be guiltless who toucheth her!
So also, he who enters to the wife of his neighbor shall not be clean when he touches her.
30 Men despise not a thief, when he stealeth, to satisfy his appetite, because he is famished;
Not so great is the fault when someone has stolen. For he steals so as to satisfy a hungry soul.
31 Yet, if found, he must pay back sevenfold, All the substance of his house, must he give:
Also, if he is apprehended, he shall repay sevenfold and hand over all the substance of his house.
32 He that committeth adultery with a woman, lacketh sense, A destroyer of his own life, is he that doeth it;
But whoever is an adulterer, because of the emptiness of his heart, will destroy his own soul.
33 Smiting and shame, shall he find, and, his reproach, shall not be wiped out;
He gathers shame and dishonor to himself, and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
34 For, jealousy, is the rage of a man, nor will he spare, in the day of avenging;
For the jealousy and fury of the husband will not spare him on the day of vindication,
35 He will not look, at any ransom, neither will he consent, though thou increase the bribe.
nor will he agree to the pleadings of anyone, nor will he accept, as repayment, a multitude of gifts.
