Proverbs 6
1 My son, if you have become collateral for your neighbor, if you have struck your hand in pledge for a stranger;
My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, thou hast engaged fast thy hand to a stranger.
2 You are trapped by the words of your mouth. You are ensnared with the words of your mouth.
Thou art ensnared with the words of thy mouth, and caught with thy own words.
3 Do this now, my son, and deliver yourself, seeing you have come into the hand of your neighbor. Go, humble yourself. Press your plea with your neighbor.
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 no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids.
Give not sleep to thy eyes, neither let thy eyelids slumber.
5 Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.
Deliver thyself as a doe from the hand, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider her ways, and be wise;
Go to the ant, O sluggard, and consider her ways, and learn wisdom:
7 which having no chief, overseer, or ruler,
Which, although she hath no guide, nor master, nor captain,
8 provides her bread in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.
Provideth her meat for herself in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
9 How long will you sleep, sluggard? When will you arise out of your sleep?
How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou rise out of thy sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
Thou wilt sleep a little, thou wilt slumber a little, thou wilt fold thy hands a little to sleep:
11 so your poverty will come as a robber, and your scarcity as an armed man.
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 worthless person, a man of iniquity, is he who walks with a perverse mouth;
A man that is an apostate, an unprofitable man, walketh with a perverse mouth,
13 who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet, who motions with his fingers;
He winketh with the eyes, presseth with the foot, speaketh with the finger.
14 in whose heart is perverseness, who devises evil continually, who always sows discord.
With a wicked heart he deviseth evil, and at all times he soweth discord.
15 Therefore his calamity will come suddenly. He will be broken suddenly, and that without remedy.
To such a one his destruction shall presently come, and he shall suddenly be destroyed, and shall no longer have any remedy.
16 There are six things which YHWH hates; yes, seven which are an abomination to him:
Six things there are, which the Lord hateth, and the seventh his soul detesteth:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood;
Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are swift in running to mischief,
A heart that deviseth wicked plots, feet that are swift to run into mischief,
19 a false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.
A deceitful witness that uttereth lies, and him that soweth discord among brethren.
20 My son, keep your father's commandment, and do not forsake your mother's teaching.
My son, beep the commandments of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother.
21 Bind them continually on your heart. Tie them around your neck.
Bind them in thy heart continually, and put them about thy neck.
22 When you walk, it will lead you. When you sleep, it will watch over you. When you awake, it will talk with you.
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 is a lamp, and the Law is light. Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,
Because the commandment is a lamp, and the law a light, and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
24 to keep you from the immoral woman, from the flattery of the foreign woman.
That they may keep thee from the evil woman, and from the flattering tongue of the stranger.
25 Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, neither let her captivate you with her eyelids.
Let not thy heart covet her beauty, be not caught with her winks:
26 For a prostitute reduces you to a piece of bread. The adulteress hunts for your precious life.
For the price of a harlot is scarce one loaf: but the woman catcheth the precious soul of a man.
27 Can a man scoop fire into his lap, and his clothes not be burned?
Can a man hide fire in his bosom, and his garments not burn?
28 Or can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be scorched?
Or can he walk upon hot coals, and his feet not be burnt?
29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor's wife. Whoever touches her will not be unpunished.
So he that goeth in to his neighbour’s wife, shall not be clean when he shall touch her.
30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry:
The fault is not so great when a man hath stolen: for he stealeth to fill his hungry soul:
31 but if he is found, he must repay seven times. He shall give all the wealth of his house.
And if he be taken he shall restore sevenfold, and shall give up all the substance of his house.
32 He who commits adultery with a woman is void of understanding. He who does it destroys his own soul.
But he that is an adulterer, for the folly of his heart shall destroy his own soul:
33 He will get wounds and dishonor. His reproach will not be wiped away.
He gathereth to himself shame and dishonour, and his reproach shall not be blotted out:
34 For jealousy arouses the fury of the husband. He won't spare in the day of vengeance.
Because the jealousy and rage of the husband will not spare in the day of revenge,
35 He won't regard any ransom, neither will he rest content, though you give many gifts.
Nor will he yield to any man’s prayers, nor will he accept for satisfaction ever so many gifts.
