Proverbs 6
1 My son! if thou hast been surety for thy friend, Hast stricken for a stranger thy hand,
My son, if thou art become surety for thy neighbour, if thou hast struck thy hands for a stranger —
2 Hast been snared with sayings of thy mouth, Hast been captured with sayings of thy mouth,
Thou art snared by the words of thy mouth, thou art caught by the words of thy 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,
Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, seeing thou art come into the hand of thy neighbour; go, humble thyself, and urge thy neighbour.
4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, And slumber to thine eyelids,
Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.
5 Be delivered as a roe from the hand, And as a bird from the hand of a fowler.
Deliver thyself as a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6 Go unto the ant, O slothful one, See her ways and be wise;
Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise;
7 Which hath not captain, overseer, and ruler,
Which having no chief, overseer, or ruler,
8 She doth prepare in summer her bread, She hath gathered in harvest her food.
Provideth her bread in the summer, and gatherest her food in the harvest.
9 Till when, O slothful one, dost thou lie? When dost thou arise from thy sleep?
How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, A little clasping of the hands to rest,
'Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep' —
11 And thy poverty hath come as a traveller, And thy want as an armed man.
So shall thy poverty come as a runner, and thy want as an armed man.
12 A man of worthlessness, a man of iniquity, Walking [with] perverseness of mouth,
A base person, a man of iniquity, is he that walketh with a froward mouth;
13 Winking with his eyes, speaking with his feet, Directing with his fingers,
That winketh with his eyes, that scrapeth with his feet, that pointeth with his fingers;
14 Frowardness [is] in his heart, devising evil at all times, Contentions he sendeth forth.
Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth evil continually; he soweth discord.
15 Therefore suddenly cometh his calamity, Instantly he is broken — and no healing.
Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; on a sudden shall he be broken, and that without remedy.
16 These six hath Jehovah hated, Yea, seven [are] abominations to His soul.
There are six things which the LORD hateth, yea, seven which are an abomination unto Him:
17 Eyes high — tongues false — And hands shedding innocent blood —
Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood;
18 A heart devising thoughts of vanity — Feet hasting to run to evil —
A heart that deviseth wicked thoughts, feet that are swift in running to evil;
19 A false witness [who] doth breathe out lies — And one sending forth contentions between brethren.
A false witness that breatheth out lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
20 Keep, my son, the command of thy father, And leave not the law of thy mother.
My son, keep the commandment of thy father, and forsake not the teaching of thy mother;
21 Bind them on thy heart continually, Tie them on thy neck.
Bind them continually upon thy heart, tie them 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.
When thou walkest, it shall lead thee, when thou liest down, it shall watch over thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
23 For a lamp [is] the command, And the law a light, And a way of life [are] reproofs of instruction,
For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching is light, and reproofs of instruction are the way of life;
24 To preserve thee from an evil woman, From the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
To keep thee from the evil woman, from the smoothness of the alien tongue.
25 Desire not her beauty in thy heart, And let her not take thee with her eyelids.
Lust not after her beauty in thy heart; neither let her captivate thee with her eyelids.
26 For a harlot consumeth unto a cake of bread, And an adulteress the precious soul hunteth.
For on account of a harlot a man is brought to a loaf of bread, but the adulteress hunteth for the precious life.
27 Doth a man take fire into his bosom, And are his garments not burnt?
Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?
28 Doth a man walk on the hot coals, And are his feet not scorched?
Or can one walk upon hot coals, and his feet not be scorched?
29 So [is] he who hath gone in unto the wife of his neighbour, None who doth touch her is innocent.
So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not go unpunished.
30 They do not despise the thief, When he stealeth to fill his soul when he is hungry,
Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;
31 And being found he repayeth sevenfold, All the substance of his house he giveth.
But if he be found, he must restore sevenfold, he must give all the substance of his house.
32 He who committeth adultery [with] a woman lacketh heart, He is destroying his soul who doth it.
He that committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding; he doeth it that would destroy his own soul.
33 A stroke and shame he doth find, And his reproach is not wiped away,
Wounds and dishonour shall he get, and his reproach shall not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy [is] the fury of a man, And he doth not spare in a day of vengeance.
For jealousy is the rage of a man, and 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 regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.
