Proverbs 6
1 My son, if you have become collateral for your neighbor, if you have struck your hands in pledge for a stranger,
My son! if thou hast been surety for thy friend, Hast stricken for a stranger thy hand,
2 you are trapped by the words of your mouth; you are ensnared with the words of your mouth.
Hast been snared with sayings of thy mouth, Hast been captured with sayings of thy mouth,
3 Do this now, my son, and deliver yourself, since you have come into the hand of your neighbor. Go, humble yourself. Press your plea with your neighbor.
Do this now, my son, and be delivered, For thou hast come into the hand of thy friend. Go, trample on thyself, and strengthen thy friend,
4 Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids.
Give not sleep to thine eyes, And slumber to thine eyelids,
5 Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.
Be delivered as a roe from the hand, And as a bird from the hand of a fowler.
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider her ways, and be wise;
Go unto the ant, O slothful one, See her ways and be wise;
7 which having no chief, overseer, or ruler,
Which hath not captain, overseer, and ruler,
8 provides her bread in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.
She doth prepare in summer her bread, She hath gathered in harvest her food.
9 How long will you sleep, sluggard? When will you arise out of your sleep?
Till when, O slothful one, dost thou lie? When dost thou arise from thy sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep—
A little sleep, a little slumber, A little clasping of the hands to rest,
11 so your poverty will come as a robber, and your scarcity as an armed man.
And thy poverty hath come as a traveller, And thy want as an armed man.
12 A worthless person, a man of iniquity, is he who walks with a perverse mouth,
A man of worthlessness, a man of iniquity, Walking [with] perverseness of mouth,
13 who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet, who motions with his fingers,
Winking with his eyes, speaking with his feet, Directing with his fingers,
14 in whose heart is perverseness, who devises evil continually, who always sows discord.
Frowardness [is] in his heart, devising evil at all times, Contentions he sendeth forth.
15 Therefore his calamity will come suddenly. He will be broken suddenly, and that without remedy.
Therefore suddenly cometh his calamity, Instantly he is broken — and no healing.
16 There are six things which the LORD hates; yes, seven which are an abomination to him:
These six hath Jehovah hated, Yea, seven [are] abominations to His soul.
17 arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
Eyes high — tongues false — And hands shedding innocent blood —
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are swift in running to mischief,
A heart devising thoughts of vanity — Feet hasting to run to evil —
19 a false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.
A false witness [who] doth breathe out lies — And one sending forth contentions between brethren.
20 My son, keep your father’s commandment, and don’t forsake your mother’s teaching.
Keep, my son, the command of thy father, And leave not the law of thy mother.
21 Bind them continually on your heart. Tie them around your neck.
Bind them on thy heart continually, Tie them on thy neck.
22 When you walk, it will lead you. When you sleep, it will watch over you. When you awake, it will talk with you.
In thy going up and down, it leadeth thee, In thy lying down, it watcheth over thee, And thou hast awaked — it talketh [with] thee.
23 For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light. Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,
For a lamp [is] the command, And the law a light, And a way of life [are] reproofs of instruction,
24 to keep you from the immoral woman, from the flattery of the wayward wife’s tongue.
To preserve thee from an evil woman, From the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
25 Don’t lust after her beauty in your heart, neither let her captivate you with her eyelids.
Desire not her beauty in thy heart, And let her not take thee with her eyelids.
26 For a prostitute reduces you to a piece of bread. The adulteress hunts for your precious life.
For a harlot consumeth unto a cake of bread, And an adulteress the precious soul hunteth.
27 Can a man scoop fire into his lap, and his clothes not be burned?
Doth a man take fire into his bosom, And are his garments not burnt?
28 Or can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be scorched?
Doth a man walk on the hot coals, And are his feet not scorched?
29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife. Whoever touches her will not be unpunished.
So [is] he who hath gone in unto the wife of his neighbour, None who doth touch her is innocent.
30 Men don’t despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry,
They do not despise the thief, When he stealeth to fill his soul when he is hungry,
31 but if he is found, he shall restore seven times. He shall give all the wealth of his house.
And being found he repayeth sevenfold, All the substance of his house he giveth.
32 He who commits adultery with a woman is void of understanding. He who does it destroys his own soul.
He who committeth adultery [with] a woman lacketh heart, He is destroying his soul who doth it.
33 He will get wounds and dishonor. His reproach will not be wiped away.
A stroke and shame he doth find, And his reproach is not wiped away,
34 For jealousy arouses the fury of the husband. He won’t spare in the day of vengeance.
For jealousy [is] the fury of a man, And he doth not spare in a day of vengeance.
35 He won’t regard any ransom, neither will he rest content, though you give many gifts.
He accepteth not the appearance of any atonement, Yea, he doth not consent, Though thou dost multiply bribes!
