Proverbs 6
1 My son! if thou hast been surety for thy friend, Hast stricken for a stranger thy hand,
[My] son, if thou become surety for thy friend, thou shalt deliver thine hand to an enemy.
2 Hast been snared with sayings of thy mouth, Hast been captured with sayings of thy 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 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,
[My] son, do what I command thee, and deliver thyself; for on thy friend's account thou art come into the power of evil [men]: faint not, but stir up even thy friend for whom thou art become surety.
4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, And slumber to thine eyelids,
Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber with thine eyelids;
5 Be delivered as a roe from the hand, And as a bird from the hand of a fowler.
that thou mayest deliver thyself as a doe out of the toils, and as a bird out of a snare.
6 Go unto the ant, O slothful one, See her ways and be wise;
Go to the ant, O sluggard; and see, and emulate his ways, and become wiser than he.
7 Which hath not captain, overseer, and ruler,
For whereas he has no husbandry, nor any one to compel him, and is under no master,
8 She doth prepare in summer her bread, She hath gathered in harvest her food.
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 labours 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 Till when, O slothful one, dost thou lie? When dost thou arise from thy sleep?
How long wilt thou lie, O sluggard? and when wilt thou awake out of sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, A little clasping of the hands to rest,
Thou sleepest a little, and thou restest a little, and thou slumberest a short [time], and thou foldest thine arms over thy breast a little.
11 And thy poverty hath come as a traveller, And thy want as an armed man.
Then poverty comes upon thee as an evil traveller, and want as a swift courier: but if thou be diligent, thine harvest shall arrive as a fountain, and poverty shall flee away as a bad courier.
12 A man of worthlessness, a man of iniquity, Walking [with] perverseness of mouth,
A foolish man and a transgressor goes in ways that are not good.
13 Winking with his eyes, speaking with his feet, Directing 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 Frowardness [is] in his heart, devising evil at all times, Contentions he sendeth forth.
[His] perverse heart devises evils: at all times such a one causes troubles to a city.
15 Therefore suddenly cometh his calamity, Instantly he is broken — and no healing.
Therefore his destruction shall come suddenly; overthrow and irretrievable ruin.
16 These six hath Jehovah hated, Yea, seven [are] abominations to His soul.
For he rejoices in all things which God hates, and he is ruined by reason of impurity of soul.
17 Eyes high — tongues false — And hands shedding innocent blood —
The eye of the haughty, a tongue unjust, hands shedding the blood of the just;
18 A heart devising thoughts of vanity — Feet hasting to run to evil —
and a heart devising evil thoughts, and feet hastening to do evil, —[are hateful to God].
19 A false witness [who] doth breathe out lies — And one sending forth contentions between brethren.
An unjust witness kindles falsehoods, and brings on quarrels between brethren.
20 Keep, my son, the command of thy father, And leave not the law of thy mother.
[My] son, keep the laws of thy father, and reject not the ordinances of thy mother:
21 Bind them on thy heart continually, Tie them on thy neck.
but bind them upon thy soul continually, and hang them as a chain about thy neck.
22 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.
Whensoever thou walkest, lead this along and let it be with thee; that it may talk with thee when thou wakest.
23 For a lamp [is] the command, And the law a light, And a way of life [are] reproofs of instruction,
For the commandment of the law is a lamp and a light; a way of life; reproof also and correction:
24 To preserve thee from an evil woman, From the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
to keep thee continually from a married woman, and from the calumny of a strange tongue.
25 Desire not her beauty in thy heart, And let her not take thee with her eyelids.
Let not the desire of beauty overcome thee, neither be thou caught by thine eyes, neither be captivated with her eyelids.
26 For a harlot consumeth unto a cake of bread, And an adulteress the precious soul hunteth.
For the value of a harlot is as much as of one loaf; and a woman hunts for the precious souls of men.
27 Doth a man take fire into his bosom, And are his garments not burnt?
Shall any one bind fire in his bosom, and not burn his garments?
28 Doth a man walk on the hot coals, And are his feet not scorched?
or will any one walk on coals of fire, and not burn his feet?
29 So [is] he who hath gone in unto the wife of his neighbour, None who doth touch her is innocent.
So is he that goes in to a married woman; he shall not be held guiltless, neither any one that touches her.
30 They do not despise the thief, When he stealeth to fill his soul 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 And being found he repayeth sevenfold, All the substance of his house he giveth.
but if he should be taken, he shall repay sevenfold, and shall deliver himself by giving all his goods.
32 He who committeth adultery [with] a woman lacketh heart, He is destroying his soul who doth it.
But the adulterer through want of sense procures destruction to his soul.
33 A stroke and shame he doth find, And his reproach is not wiped away,
He endures both pain and disgrace, and his reproach shall never be wiped off.
34 For jealousy [is] the fury of a man, And he doth not spare in a day of vengeance.
For the soul of her husband is full of jealousy: he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35 He accepteth not the appearance of any atonement, Yea, he doth not consent, Though thou dost multiply bribes!
He will not forego [his] enmity for any ransom: neither will he be reconciled for many gifts.
