Proverbs 6
1 [My] son, if you become surety for your friend, you shall deliver your hand to an enemy.
My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, thou hast engaged fast thy hand to a stranger.
2 For a man's own lips become a strong snare to him, and he is caught with the lips of his own mouth.
Thou art ensnared with the words of thy mouth, and caught with thy own words.
3 [My] son, do what I command you, and deliver yourself; for on your friend's account you are come into the power of evil [men]: faint not, but stir up even your friend for whom you are become surety.
Do therefore, my son, what I say, and deliver thyself: because thou art fallen into the hand of thy neighbour. Run about, make haste, stir up thy friend:
4 Give not sleep to your eyes, nor slumber with your eyelids;
Give not sleep to thy eyes, neither let thy eyelids slumber.
5 that you may deliver yourself as a doe out of the toils, and as a bird out of a snare.
Deliver thyself as a doe from the hand, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6 Go to the ant, O sluggard; and see, and emulate his ways, and become wiser than he.
Go to the ant, O sluggard, and consider her ways, and learn wisdom:
7 For whereas he has no husbandry, nor any one to compel him, and is under no master,
Which, although she hath no guide, nor master, nor captain,
8 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 labors 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.
Provideth her meat for herself in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
9 How long will you lie, O sluggard? and when will you awake out of sleep?
How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou rise out of thy sleep?
10 You sleep a little, and you rest a little, and you slumber a short [time], and you fold your arms over your breast a little.
Thou wilt sleep a little, thou wilt slumber a little, thou wilt fold thy hands a little to sleep:
11 Then poverty comes upon you as an evil traveller, and lack as a swift courier: but if you be diligent, your harvest shall arrive as a fountain, and poverty shall flee away as a bad courier.
And want shall come upon thee, as a traveller, and poverty as a man armed. But if thou be diligent, thy harvest shall come as a fountain, and want shall flee far from thee.
12 A foolish man and a transgressor goes in ways that are not good.
A man that is an apostate, an unprofitable man, walketh with a perverse mouth,
13 And the same winks with the eye, and makes a sign with his foot, and teaches with the beckonings of his fingers.
He winketh with the eyes, presseth with the foot, speaketh with the finger.
14 [His] perverse heart devises evils: at all times such a one causes troubles to a city.
With a wicked heart he deviseth evil, and at all times he soweth discord.
15 Therefore his destruction shall come suddenly; overthrow and irretrievable ruin.
To such a one his destruction shall presently come, and he shall suddenly be destroyed, and shall no longer have any remedy.
16 For he rejoices in all things which God hates, and he is ruined by reason of impurity of soul.
Six things there are, which the Lord hateth, and the seventh his soul detesteth:
17 The eye of the haughty, a tongue unjust, hands shedding the blood of the just;
Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
18 and a heart devising evil thoughts, and feet hastening to do evil, —[are hateful to God].
A heart that deviseth wicked plots, feet that are swift to run into mischief,
19 An unjust witness kindles falsehoods, and brings on quarrels between brethren.
A deceitful witness that uttereth lies, and him that soweth discord among brethren.
20 [My] son, keep the laws of your father, and reject not the ordinances of your mother:
My son, beep the commandments of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother.
21 but bind them upon your soul continually, and hang them as a chain about your neck.
Bind them in thy heart continually, and put them about thy neck.
22 Whenever you walk, lead this along and let it be with you; that it may talk with you when you wake.
When thou walkest, let them go with thee: when thou sleepest, let them keep thee; and when thou awakest, talk with them.
23 For the commandment of the law is a lamp and a light; a way of life; reproof also and correction:
Because the commandment is a lamp, and the law a light, and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
24 to keep you continually from a married woman, and from the calumny of a strange tongue.
That they may keep thee from the evil woman, and from the flattering tongue of the stranger.
25 Let not the desire of beauty overcome you, neither be you caught by your eyes, neither be captivated with her eyelids.
Let not thy heart covet her beauty, be not caught with her winks:
26 For the value of a harlot is as much as of one loaf; and a woman hunts for the precious souls of men.
For the price of a harlot is scarce one loaf: but the woman catcheth the precious soul of a man.
27 Shall any one bind fire in his bosom, and not burn his garments?
Can a man hide fire in his bosom, and his garments not burn?
28 or will any one walk on coals of fire, and not burn his feet?
Or can he walk upon hot coals, and his feet not be burnt?
29 So is he that goes in to a married woman; he shall not be held guiltless, neither any one that touches her.
So he that goeth in to his neighbour’s wife, shall not be clean when he shall touch her.
30 It is not to be wondered at if one should be taken stealing, for he steals that when hungry he may satisfy his soul:
The fault is not so great when a man hath stolen: for he stealeth to fill his hungry soul:
31 but if he should be taken, he shall repay sevenfold, and shall deliver himself by giving all his goods.
And if he be taken he shall restore sevenfold, and shall give up all the substance of his house.
32 But the adulterer through lack of sense procures destruction to his soul.
But he that is an adulterer, for the folly of his heart shall destroy his own soul:
33 He endures both pain and disgrace, and his reproach shall never be wiped off.
He gathereth to himself shame and dishonour, and his reproach shall not be blotted out:
34 For the soul of her husband is full of jealousy: he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
Because the jealousy and rage of the husband will not spare in the day of revenge,
35 He will not forego [his] enmity for any ransom: neither will he be reconciled for many gifts.
Nor will he yield to any man’s prayers, nor will he accept for satisfaction ever so many gifts.
