Proverbiorum 6
1 Fili mi, si spoponderis pro amico tuo, defixisti apud extraneum manum tuam,
My son, if you have taken a pledge on behalf of your friend, then you have bound your hand to an outsider,
2 illaqueatus es verbis oris tui, et captus propriis sermonibus.
then you are ensnared by the words of your own mouth, and taken captive by your own words.
3 Fac ergo quod dico fili mi, et temetipsum libera: quia incidisti in manum proximi tui. Discurre, festina, suscita amicum tuum:
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 ne dederis somnum oculis tuis, nec dormitent palpebrae tuae.
Do not grant sleep to your eyes, nor let your eyelids slumber.
5 Eruere quasi damula de manu, et quasi avis de manu aucupis.
Rescue yourself like a gazelle from the hand, and like a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6 Vade ad formicam o piger, et considera vias eius, et disce sapientiam:
Go to the ant, you lazy one, and consider her ways, and so learn wisdom.
7 quae cum non habeat ducem, nec praeceptorem, nec principem,
For though she has no ruler, nor instructor, nor leader,
8 parat in aestate cibum sibi, et congregat in messe quod comedat.
she provides meals for herself in the summer, and she gathers at the harvest what she may eat.
9 Usquequo piger dormies? quando consurges e somno tuo?
How long will you slumber, you lazy one? When will you rise up from your sleep?
10 Paululum dormies, paululum dormitabis, paululum conseres manus ut dormias:
You will sleep a little, you will slumber a little, you will fold your hands a little to sleep,
11 et veniet tibi quasi viator, egestas, et pauperies quasi vir armatus. Si vero impiger fueris, veniet ut fons messis tua, et egestas longe fugiet a te.
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 Homo apostata, vir inutilis, graditur ore perverso,
An apostate man, a harmful man, walks with a perverse mouth;
13 annuit oculis, terit pede, digito loquitur,
he winks with the eyes, touches with the foot, speaks with the finger.
14 pravo corde machinatur malum, et omni tempore iurgia seminat.
With a depraved heart he devises evil, and at all times he sows conflict.
15 huic extemplo veniet perditio sua, et subito conteretur, nec habebit ultra medicinam.
To this one, his perdition will arrive promptly, and he shall be crushed suddenly: he will no longer have any remedy.
16 Sex sunt, quae odit Dominus, et septimum detestatur anima eius:
Six things there are that the Lord hates, and the seventh, his soul detests:
17 Oculos sublimes, linguam mendacem, manus effundentes innoxium sanguinem,
haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
18 cor machinans cogitationes pessimas, pedes veloces ad currendum in malum,
a heart that devises the most wicked thoughts, feet running swiftly unto evil,
19 proferentem mendacia testem fallacem, et eum, qui seminat inter fratres discordias.
a deceitful witness bringing forth lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.
20 Conserva fili mi praecepta patris tui, et ne dimittas legem matris tuae.
My son, preserve the precepts of your father, and do not dismiss the law of your mother.
21 Liga ea in corde tuo iugiter, et circumda gutturi tuo.
Bind them to your heart unceasingly, and encircle them around your throat.
22 Cum ambulaveris, gradiantur tecum: cum dormieris, custodiant te, et evigilans loquere cum eis.
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 quia mandatum lucerna est, et lex lux, et via vitae increpatio disciplinae:
For commandment is a lamp, and law is a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life.
24 ut custodiant te a muliere mala, et a blanda lingua extraneae.
So may they guard you from an evil woman, and from the flattering tongue of the outsider.
25 Non concupiscat pulchritudinem eius cor tuum, nec capiaris nutibus illius:
Let not your heart desire her beauty; do not be captivated by her winks.
26 pretium enim scorti vix est unius panis: mulier autem viri pretiosam animam capit.
For the price of a prostitute is only one loaf. Yet the woman seizes the precious soul of a man.
27 Numquid potest homo abscondere ignem in sinu suo, ut vestimenta illius non ardeant?
Would a man be able to conceal fire in his bosom, so that his garments would not burn?
28 aut ambulare super prunas, ut non comburantur plantae eius?
Or could he walk over burning coals, so that his feet would not be burned?
29 sic qui ingreditur ad mulierem proximi sui, non erit mundus cum tetigerit eam.
So also, he who enters to the wife of his neighbor shall not be clean when he touches her.
30 Non grandis est culpa, cum quis furatus fuerit: ut esurientem impleat animam:
Not so great is the fault when someone has stolen. For he steals so as to satisfy a hungry soul.
31 deprehensus tamen reddet septuplum, et omnem substantiam domus suae tradet.
Also, if he is apprehended, he shall repay sevenfold and hand over all the substance of his house.
32 Qui autem adulter est, propter cordis inopiam perdet animam suam:
But whoever is an adulterer, because of the emptiness of his heart, will destroy his own soul.
33 turpitudinem et ignominiam congregat sibi, et opprobrium illius non delebitur.
He gathers shame and dishonor to himself, and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
34 quia zelus et furor viri non parcet in die vindictae,
For the jealousy and fury of the husband will not spare him on the day of vindication,
35 nec acquiescet cuiusquam precibus, nec suscipiet pro redemptione dona plurima.
nor will he agree to the pleadings of anyone, nor will he accept, as repayment, a multitude of gifts.
