Proverbs 6
1 My son, if you set aside your money as a guarantee for your neighbor's loan, if you gave your promise for a loan of someone you do not know,
[My] son, if you become surety for your friend, you shall deliver your hand to an enemy.
2 then you have laid a trap for yourself by your promise and you have been caught by the words of your 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 When you are caught by your words, my son, do this and save yourself, since you have fallen into the hand of your neighbor; go and humble yourself and make your case before your neighbor.
[My] son, do what I command you, and deliver yourself; for on your friend's account you are come into the power of evil [men]: faint not, but stir up even your friend for whom you are become surety.
4 Give your eyes no sleep and your eyelids no slumber.
Give not sleep to your eyes, nor slumber with your eyelids;
5 Save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the hand of the fowler.
that you may deliver yourself as a doe out of the toils, and as a bird out of a snare.
6 Look at the ant, you lazy person, consider her ways, and be wise.
Go to the ant, O sluggard; and see, and emulate his ways, and become wiser than he.
7 It has no commander, officer, or ruler,
For whereas he has no husbandry, nor any one to compel him, and is under no master,
8 yet it prepares its food in the summer and during the harvest it stores up what it will eat.
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 labors 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 will you sleep, you lazy person? When will you rise from your sleep?
How long will you lie, O sluggard? and when will you awake out of sleep?
10 “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest”—
You sleep a little, and you rest a little, and you slumber a short [time], and you fold your arms over your breast a little.
11 and your poverty will come like a robber and your needs like an armed soldier.
Then poverty comes upon you as an evil traveller, and lack as a swift courier: but if you be diligent, your harvest shall arrive as a fountain, and poverty shall flee away as a bad courier.
12 A worthless person—a wicked man— lives by the crookedness of his speech,
A foolish man and a transgressor goes in ways that are not good.
13 winking his eyes, making signals with his feet and pointing 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 He plots evil with deceit in his heart; he always stirs up discord.
[His] perverse heart devises evils: at all times such a one causes troubles to a city.
15 Therefore his disaster will overtake him in an instant; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.
Therefore his destruction shall come suddenly; overthrow and irretrievable ruin.
16 There are six things that Yahweh hates, seven that are disgusting to him.
For he rejoices in all things which God hates, and he is ruined by reason of impurity of soul.
17 The eyes of a proud person, a tongue that lies, hands that shed the blood of innocent people,
The eye of the haughty, a tongue unjust, hands shedding the blood of the just;
18 a heart that invents wicked schemes, feet that quickly run to do evil,
and a heart devising evil thoughts, and feet hastening to do evil, —[are hateful to God].
19 a witness who breathes out lies and one who sows discord among brothers.
An unjust witness kindles falsehoods, and brings on quarrels between brethren.
20 My son, obey the command of your father and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.
[My] son, keep the laws of your father, and reject not the ordinances of your mother:
21 Always bind them on your heart; tie them about your neck.
but bind them upon your soul continually, and hang them as a chain about your neck.
22 When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; and when you wake up, they will teach you.
Whenever you walk, lead this along and let it be with you; that it may talk with you when you wake.
23 For the commands are a lamp, and the teaching is a light; the corrections that come by instruction are the way of life.
For the commandment of the law is a lamp and a light; a way of life; reproof also and correction:
24 It keeps you from the immoral woman, from the smooth words of an immoral woman.
to keep you continually from a married woman, and from the calumny of a strange tongue.
25 Do not lust in your heart after her beauty and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes.
Let not the desire of beauty overcome you, neither be you caught by your eyes, neither be captivated with her eyelids.
26 Sleeping with a prostitute can cost the price of a loaf of bread, but the wife of another may cost you your very life.
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 carry a fire against his chest without burning his clothes?
Shall any one bind fire in his bosom, and not burn his garments?
28 Can a man walk on hot coals without scorching his feet?
or will any one walk on coals of fire, and not burn his feet?
29 So is the man who sleeps with his neighbor's wife; the one who sleeps with her will not go unpunished.
So is he that goes in to a married woman; he shall not be held guiltless, neither any one that touches her.
30 People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his need when he is hungry.
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 he is caught, he will pay back seven times what he stole; he must give up everything of value in his house.
but if he should be taken, he shall repay sevenfold, and shall deliver himself by giving all his goods.
32 The one who commits adultery has no sense; the one who does it destroys himself.
But the adulterer through lack of sense procures destruction to his soul.
33 Wounds and shame are what he deserves and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
He endures both pain and disgrace, and his reproach shall never be wiped off.
34 For jealousy makes a man furious; he will show no mercy when he takes his revenge.
For the soul of her husband is full of jealousy: he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35 He will accept no compensation and he cannot be bought off, though you offer him many gifts.
He will not forego [his] enmity for any ransom: neither will he be reconciled for many gifts.
