Proverbs 6
1 My son, if thou art surety for thy friend, if thou hast struck thy hand with a stranger,
My son, if you have taken a pledge on behalf of your friend, then you have bound your hand to an outsider,
2 Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.
then you are ensnared by the words of your own mouth, and taken captive by your own words.
3 Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and plead with thy friend.
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 Give not sleep to thy eyes, nor slumber to thy eyelids.
Do not grant sleep to your eyes, nor let your eyelids slumber.
5 Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from 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; consider her ways, and be wise:
Go to the ant, you lazy one, and consider her ways, and so learn wisdom.
7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
For though she has no ruler, nor instructor, nor leader,
8 Provideth her food in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
she provides meals for herself in the summer, and she gathers at the harvest what she may eat.
9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
How long will you slumber, you lazy one? When will you rise up from your sleep?
10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
You will sleep a little, you will slumber a little, you will fold your hands a little to sleep,
11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
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 A worthless person, a wicked man, walketh with a perverse mouth.
An apostate man, a harmful man, walks with a perverse mouth;
13 He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;
he winks with the eyes, touches with the foot, speaks with the finger.
14 Perverseness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.
With a depraved heart he devises evil, and at all times he sows conflict.
15 Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.
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 the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination to him:
Six things there are that the Lord hates, and the seventh, his soul detests:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that are swift in running to mischief,
a heart that devises the most wicked thoughts, feet running swiftly unto evil,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and him that soweth discord among brethren.
a deceitful witness bringing forth lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.
20 My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
My son, preserve the precepts of your father, and do not dismiss the law of your mother.
21 Bind them continually upon thy heart, and tie them about thy neck.
Bind them to your heart unceasingly, and encircle them around your throat.
22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with 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 the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
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 evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of an adulteress woman.
So may they guard you from an evil woman, and from the flattering tongue of the outsider.
25 Lust not after her beauty in thy heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.
Let not your heart desire her beauty; do not be captivated by her winks.
26 For by means of an harlot a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life.
For the price of a prostitute is only one loaf. Yet the woman seizes the precious soul of a man.
27 Can a man take 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 Can one go 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 to his neighbour’s wife; whoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.
So also, he who enters to the wife of his neighbor shall not be clean when he touches her.
30 Men do not despise a thief, if he stealeth to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;
Not so great is the fault when someone has stolen. For he steals so as to satisfy a hungry soul.
31 But if he is found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.
Also, if he is apprehended, he shall repay sevenfold and hand over all the substance of his house.
32 But whoever committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.
But whoever is an adulterer, because of the emptiness of his heart, will destroy his own soul.
33 A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.
He gathers shame and dishonor to himself, and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
For the jealousy and fury of the husband will not spare him on the day of vindication,
35 He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.
nor will he agree to the pleadings of anyone, nor will he accept, as repayment, a multitude of gifts.
