Proverbs 6

1 My son, if you have become collateral for your neighbor, if you have struck your hands in pledge for a stranger,

My son, if you have taken a pledge on behalf of your friend, then you have bound your hand to an outsider,

2 you are trapped by the words of your mouth; you are ensnared with the words of your mouth.

then you are ensnared by the words of your own mouth, and taken captive by your own words.

3 Do this now, my son, and deliver yourself, since you have come into the hand of your neighbor. Go, humble yourself. Press your plea with your neighbor.

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 Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids.

Do not grant sleep to your eyes, nor let your eyelids slumber.

5 Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.

Rescue yourself like a gazelle from the hand, and like 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, you lazy one, and consider her ways, and so learn wisdom.

7 which having no chief, overseer, or ruler,

For though she has no ruler, nor instructor, nor leader,

8 provides her bread in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.

she provides meals for herself in the summer, and she gathers at the harvest what she may eat.

9 How long will you sleep, sluggard? When will you arise out of your sleep?

How long will you slumber, you lazy one? When will you rise up from your sleep?

10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep—

You will sleep a little, you will slumber a little, you will fold your hands a little to sleep,

11 so your poverty will come as a robber, and your scarcity as an armed man.

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 A worthless person, a man of iniquity, is he who walks with a perverse mouth,

An apostate man, a harmful man, walks with a perverse mouth;

13 who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet, who motions with his fingers,

he winks with the eyes, touches with the foot, speaks with the finger.

14 in whose heart is perverseness, who devises evil continually, who always sows discord.

With a depraved heart he devises evil, and at all times he sows conflict.

15 Therefore his calamity will come suddenly. He will be broken suddenly, and that without remedy.

To this one, his perdition will arrive promptly, and he shall be crushed suddenly: he will no longer have any remedy.

16 There are six things which the LORD hates; yes, seven which are an abomination to him:

Six things there are that the Lord hates, and the seventh, his soul detests:

17 arrogant 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 devises the most wicked thoughts, feet running swiftly unto evil,

19 a false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.

a deceitful witness bringing forth lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.

20 My son, keep your father’s commandment, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

My son, preserve the precepts of your father, and do not dismiss the law of your mother.

21 Bind them continually on your heart. Tie them around your neck.

Bind them to your heart unceasingly, and encircle them around your throat.

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 you walk, let them keep step with you. When you sleep, let them guard you. And when you keep watch, speak with them.

23 For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light. Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,

For commandment is a lamp, and law is a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life.

24 to keep you from the immoral woman, from the flattery of the wayward wife’s tongue.

So may they guard you from an evil woman, and from the flattering tongue of the outsider.

25 Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, neither let her captivate you with her eyelids.

Let not your heart desire her beauty; do not be captivated by 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 prostitute is only one loaf. Yet the woman seizes the precious soul of a man.

27 Can a man scoop fire into his lap, and his clothes not be burned?

Would a man be able to conceal fire in his bosom, so that his garments would not burn?

28 Or can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be scorched?

Or could he walk over burning coals, so that his feet would not be burned?

29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife. Whoever touches her will not be unpunished.

So also, he who enters to the wife of his neighbor shall not be clean when he touches her.

30 Men do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry,

Not so great is the fault when someone has stolen. For he steals so as to satisfy a hungry soul.

31 but if he is found, he shall restore seven times. He shall give all the wealth of his house.

Also, if he is apprehended, he shall repay sevenfold and hand over 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 whoever is an adulterer, because of the emptiness of his heart, will destroy his own soul.

33 He will get wounds and dishonor. His reproach will not be wiped away.

He gathers shame and dishonor to himself, and his disgrace will not be wiped away.

34 For jealousy arouses the fury of the husband. He will not spare in the day of vengeance.

For the jealousy and fury of the husband will not spare him on the day of vindication,

35 He will not regard any ransom, neither will he rest content, though you give many gifts.

nor will he agree to the pleadings of anyone, nor will he accept, as repayment, a multitude of gifts.