Proverbs 6
1 My son! if thou hast been surety for thy friend, Hast stricken for a stranger thy hand,
My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, [if] thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,
2 Hast been snared with sayings of thy mouth, Hast been captured with sayings of thy mouth,
Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with 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, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.
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 roe 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 guide, overseer, or ruler,
8 She doth prepare in summer her bread, She hath gathered in harvest her food.
Provideth her meat in the summer, [and] gathereth 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 one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
12 A man of worthlessness, a man of iniquity, Walking [with] perverseness of mouth,
A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.
13 Winking with his eyes, speaking with his feet, Directing with his fingers,
He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth 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 mischief continually; he soweth discord.
15 Therefore suddenly cometh his calamity, Instantly he is broken — and no healing.
Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.
16 These six hath Jehovah hated, Yea, seven [are] abominations to His soul.
These six [things] doth the LORD hate: yea, seven [are] an abomination unto him:
17 Eyes high — tongues false — And hands shedding innocent blood —
A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart devising thoughts of vanity — Feet hasting to run to evil —
An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness [who] doth breathe out lies — And one sending forth contentions between brethren.
A false witness [that] speaketh 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 thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
21 Bind them on thy heart continually, Tie them on thy neck.
Bind them continually upon thine heart, [and] 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 goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep 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 law [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 flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
25 Desire not her beauty in thy heart, And let her not take thee with her eyelids.
Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.
26 For a harlot consumeth unto a cake of bread, And an adulteress the precious soul hunteth.
For by means of a whorish woman [a man is brought] to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt 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?
Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?
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 be innocent.
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 shall restore sevenfold; he shall 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.
[But] whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he [that] doeth it destroyeth his own soul.
33 A stroke and shame he doth find, And his reproach is not wiped away,
A wound 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: therefore 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.
