Proverbs 6
1 My son, if someone has borrowed money from a friend or a stranger, and if you have promised that you will pay the money back if that person is unable to pay back the money he borrowed,
My son, if thou hast become surety for another, If thou hast stricken hands for another,
2 you may be trapped by what you have agreed to do, [because if the one who borrowed the money is not able to pay it back, you will have to pay it]. What you have said that you will do will be like a snare to you.
If thou hast become ensnared by the words of thy mouth, If thou hast been caught by the words of thy mouth,
3 So, my son, I will tell you what you should do to escape from your difficulty, so that the moneylender does not get control over your [wealth: ] Humbly go to your friend and plead with him [to cancel the agreement]!
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!
4 Do not wait until tomorrow; [go immediately]! Do not rest until you [go and talk with him].
Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids;
5 Save yourself, like a deer that escapes from a deer hunter [or] like a bird that flees from a bird hunter.
Rescue thyself, as a roe from the hand, And as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6 You lazy individual, learn something from [watching] the ants. Become wise from observing what they do.
Go to the ant, O sluggard! Consider her ways, and be wise!
7 They do not have a king or a governor or any [other] person who rules them [and forces them to work],
She hath no governor, Nor overseer, nor ruler;
8 [but] they work hard [all] during the summer, gathering and storing food to eat during the winter.
Yet she prepareth in the summer her food, She gathereth in the harvest her meat.
9 [But], you lazy loafer, how long will you [continue to] sleep [RHQ]? Are you never going to get up from sleeping [and go to work]?
How long wilt thou lie in bed, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise from thy sleep?
10 You sleep a for a little time; [you say, “I will take] just a short nap.” You lie down and fold/lay your hands [across your chest] and rest;
“A little sleep, —a little slumber, —A little folding of the hands to rest:”
11 and suddenly you will become poor. It will be as though a bandit suddenly comes and takes all that you have.
So shall thy poverty come upon thee like a robber, Yea, thy want, as an armed man!
12 [I will describe for you what] worthless and evil people [are like]. They constantly lie;
A worthless wretch is the unrighteous man, Who walketh with a deceitful mouth;
13 by winking their eyes and moving their feet and making signs with their fingers, they signal [to their friends what they are intending/planning to do].
Who winketh with his eyes, Speaketh with his feet, And teacheth with his fingers.
14 They plan to do evil things. They constantly cause strife/trouble.
Fraud is in his heart; He deviseth mischief continually; He scattereth contentions.
15 But disasters will hit them suddenly; they will be crushed/ruined and nothing will be able to heal them.
Therefore shall calamity come upon him suddenly; In a moment shall he be destroyed, and that without remedy;
16 There are six, [maybe] seven, kinds of people that Yahweh hates. [They are]:
These six things doth the LORD hate; Yea, seven are an abomination to him:
17 People who show by their eyes that they are very proud; people who lie [MTY]; people [SYN] who kill others [SYN] who have done nothing wrong;
Lofty eyes, a false tongue, And hands which shed innocent blood;
18 people who plan to do evil deeds; people [SYN] who run quickly to do wrong things;
A heart that contriveth wicked devices; Feet that are swift in running to mischief,
19 people who easily tell lies in court; and people who cause strife between family members.
A false witness, that uttereth lies, And him that soweth discord among brethren.
20 My son, obey my commands, and do not ignore what your mother has taught you.
Keep, O my son! the commandment of thy father, And forsake not the precepts of thy mother!
21 Remember the things that we have said. Those things should be [like a beautiful necklace] around your neck.
Bind them continually to thy heart, Tie them around thy neck!
22 [If you follow our advice, it will be as though] what we have taught you [PRS] will lead you, wherever you go. When you sleep, they will protect you. And when you wake up in the morning, they will teach/instruct you.
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.
23 These commands and what we teach you [will be like] a lamp to light your path [MET]. When we rebuke you and correct/punish you, we will be showing you the road to having [a good] life.
For the commandment is a lamp, and instruction a light; Yea, the rebukes of correction lead to life.
24 Heeding [PRS] these commands and things that we have taught you will enable you to keep away from immoral women and from [listening to] the enticing words of an adulterous woman.
They shall guard thee from the evil woman, From the smooth tongue of the unchaste woman.
25 [Even] if such a woman is beautiful and has lovely eyes, do not desire to go with her. Do not let her persuade you to go with her (with her eyes/by the way she looks at you).
Desire not her beauty in thy heart, Nor let her catch thee with her eyelids;
26 [Do not forget that] you can hire a prostitute for only a loaf of bread, but [if you sleep with] another man’s wife, (it may cost you/you may lose) your life.
For by a harlot a man is brought to a morsel of bread, And the adulteress layeth snares for the precious life.
27 Can you carry hot coals in your pocket and not be burned [RHQ]?
Can a man take fire into his bosom, And his clothes not be burned?
28 Can you walk on burning coals and not scorch/burn your feet?
Can one walk upon burning coals, And his feet not be scorched?
29 [No]! And in the same way, anyone who (sleeps with/has sex with) another man’s wife will [suffer for doing that]. [He will certainly] [LIT] be punished severely.
So is it with him who goeth in to his neighbor's wife; Whoever toucheth her shall not go unpunished.
30 We do not despise a thief if he steals some food because he is very hungry.
Men do not overlook a thief, Though he steal to satisfy his appetite, when he is hungry;
31 But [if he steals something and then] is caught [by the police], he will have to pay back (seven times as much as/much more than) he stole. He may need to sell everything that is in his house [to get enough money to pay it back].
If found, he must repay sevenfold, And give up all the substance of his house.
32 [But] a man who commits adultery with some woman is very foolish, [because] he is destroying his own self/soul [by what he is doing].
Whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding; He that doeth it destroyeth himself;
33 [That woman’s husband] will wound him badly, and [other people] will despise him. His shame will never end.
Blows and dishonor shall he get, And his reproach shall not be wiped away.
34 Because that woman’s husband will (be jealous/not want anyone else to sleep with her), he will become furious, and when he gets revenge, he will not act mercifully [toward the man who slept with his wife].
For jealousy is the fury of a man; He will not spare in the day of vengeance;
35 And he will not accept any bribe/money, even if it is a big bribe, to (appease him/cause him to stop being angry).
And he will not pay regard to any ransom, Nor be content, though thou offer many gifts.
