Proverbs 6
1 My son! if thou hast been surety for thy friend, Hast stricken for a stranger thy hand,
My son, if you have become collateral for your neighbour, if you have struck your hands in pledge for a stranger,
2 Hast been snared with sayings of thy mouth, Hast been captured with sayings of thy mouth,
you are trapped by the words of your mouth; you are ensnared with the words of your 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 yourself, since you have come into the hand of your neighbour. Go, humble yourself. Press your plea with your neighbour.
4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, And slumber to thine eyelids,
Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids.
5 Be delivered as a roe from the hand, And as a bird from the hand of a fowler.
Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.
6 Go unto the ant, O slothful one, See her ways and be wise;
Go to the ant, you 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.
provides her bread in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.
9 Till when, O slothful one, dost thou lie? When dost thou arise from thy sleep?
How long will you sleep, sluggard? When will you arise out of your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, A little clasping of the hands to rest,
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 your poverty will come as a robber, and your scarcity as an armed man.
12 A man of worthlessness, a man of iniquity, Walking [with] perverseness of mouth,
A worthless person, a man of iniquity, is he who walks with a perverse mouth,
13 Winking with his eyes, speaking with his feet, Directing with his fingers,
who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet, who motions with his fingers,
14 Frowardness [is] in his heart, devising evil at all times, Contentions he sendeth forth.
in whose heart is perverseness, who devises evil continually, who always sows discord.
15 Therefore suddenly cometh his calamity, Instantly he is broken — and no healing.
Therefore his calamity will come suddenly. He will be broken suddenly, and that without remedy.
16 These six hath Jehovah hated, Yea, seven [are] abominations to His soul.
There are six things which the LORD hates; yes, seven which are an abomination to him:
17 Eyes high — tongues false — And hands shedding innocent blood —
arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart devising thoughts of vanity — Feet hasting to run to evil —
a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness [who] doth breathe out lies — And one sending forth contentions between brethren.
a false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord amongst brothers.
20 Keep, my son, the command of thy father, And leave not the law of thy mother.
My son, keep your father’s commandment, and don’t forsake your mother’s teaching.
21 Bind them on thy heart continually, Tie them on thy neck.
Bind them continually on your heart. Tie them around your 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 you walk, it will lead you. When you sleep, it will watch over you. When you awake, it will talk with you.
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 Torah is light. 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 you from the immoral woman, from the flattery of the wayward wife’s tongue.
25 Desire not her beauty in thy heart, And let her not take thee with her eyelids.
Don’t lust after her beauty in your heart, neither let her captivate you with her eyelids.
26 For a harlot consumeth unto a cake of bread, And an adulteress the precious soul hunteth.
For a prostitute reduces you to a piece of bread. The adulteress hunts for your precious life.
27 Doth a man take fire into his bosom, And are his garments not burnt?
Can a man scoop fire into his lap, and his clothes not be burnt?
28 Doth a man walk on the hot coals, And are his feet not scorched?
Or can one walk on 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 is he who goes in to his neighbour’s wife. Whoever touches her will not be unpunished.
30 They do not despise the thief, When he stealeth to fill his soul when he is hungry,
Men don’t despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry,
31 And being found he repayeth sevenfold, All the substance of his house he giveth.
but if he is found, he shall restore seven times. He shall give all the wealth of his house.
32 He who committeth adultery [with] a woman lacketh heart, He is destroying his soul who doth it.
He who commits adultery with a woman is void of understanding. He who does it destroys his own soul.
33 A stroke and shame he doth find, And his reproach is not wiped away,
He will get wounds and dishonour. His reproach will 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 arouses the fury of the husband. He won’t 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 won’t regard any ransom, neither will he rest content, though you give many gifts.
