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 thou have become surety for thy neighbour, —have struck for a stranger thy hands,
2 you are trapped by the words of your mouth; you are ensnared with the words of your mouth.
Thou hast been snared by the sayings of thy mouth, —thou hast been caught by the sayings of thy mouth.
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.
Do this then, my son, and deliver thyself, When thou hast come into the hand of thy neighbour, Go, haste thee, and urge thy neighbour;
4 Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids.
Do not give sleep to thine eyes, or slumber to thine eyelashes;
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 gazelle out of the hand, and as a bird, out of the hand of the fowler.
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider her ways, and be wise;
Go to the ant, thou sluggard, observe her ways, and be wise;
7 which having no chief, overseer, or ruler,
Which, having no harvest, scribe, or ruler,
8 provides her bread in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.
Prepareth, in the summer, her food, hath collected, in the harvest, her sustenance.
9 How long will you sleep, sluggard? When will you arise out of your sleep?
How long, O sluggard, wilt thou lie? how long ere thou rise from thy sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep—
A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest: —
11 so your poverty will come as a robber, and your scarcity as an armed man.
So shall come in, as a highwayman, thy poverty, and, thy want, as one armed with a shield.
12 A worthless person, a man of iniquity, is he who walks with a perverse mouth,
An abandoned man, a man of iniquity, [is he] who—goeth on in perversity of mouth;
13 who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet, who motions with his fingers,
Winketh with his eyes, speaketh with his foot, pointeth with his fingers;
14 in whose heart is perverseness, who devises evil continually, who always sows discord.
[Hath] perverse things in his heart, deviseth mischief on every occasion, strifes, he sendeth forth.
15 Therefore his calamity will come suddenly. He will be broken suddenly, and that without remedy.
For this cause, suddenly cometh his doom, in a moment, shall he be torn in pieces and there be no mending.
16 There are six things which the LORD hates; yes, seven which are an abomination to him:
These six things, doth Yahweh hate, yea, seven, are the abomination of his soul: —
17 arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
Eyes that are lofty, a tongue that is false, and hands shedding innocent blood;
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are swift in running to mischief,
A heart contriving iniquitous devices, feet hasting to run into mischief;
19 a false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.
One that uttereth lies—a false witness, and one sending forth strifes between brethren.
20 My son, keep your father’s commandment, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
Observe thou, my son, the commandment of thy father, and do not decline from the instruction of thy mother:
21 Bind them continually on your heart. Tie them around your neck.
Bind them upon thy heart continually, fasten them upon 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 abroad, it shall guide thee, when thou sleepest, it shall watch over thee, when thou wakest, it shall speak to thee:
23 For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light. Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,
For, a lamp, is the commandment, and, the instruction, a light, and, the way of life, are the reproofs of correction:
24 to keep you from the immoral woman, from the flattery of the wayward wife’s tongue.
To keep thee from the wicked woman, from the flattery of the tongue of her that is a stranger.
25 Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, neither let her captivate you with her eyelids.
Do not covet her beauty, in thy heart, neither let her take thee, by her eyelashes;
26 For a prostitute reduces you to a piece of bread. The adulteress hunts for your precious life.
Because, for the sake of an impure woman, [a man may be brought] even to a cake of bread, —and, a man’s wife, for a precious soul, may hunt!
27 Can a man scoop fire into his lap, and his clothes not be burned?
Can a man snatch up fire in his bosom, and, his clothes, not be burned?
28 Or can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be scorched?
Or can a man walk upon hot coals, and, his feet, not be burned?
29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife. Whoever touches her will not be unpunished.
So, he that goeth in unto his neighbour’s wife, no man shall be guiltless who toucheth her!
30 Men do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry,
Men despise not a thief, when he stealeth, to satisfy his appetite, because he is famished;
31 but if he is found, he shall restore seven times. He shall give all the wealth of his house.
Yet, if found, he must pay back sevenfold, All the substance of his house, must he give:
32 He who commits adultery with a woman is void of understanding. He who does it destroys his own soul.
He that committeth adultery with a woman, lacketh sense, A destroyer of his own life, is he that doeth it;
33 He will get wounds and dishonor. His reproach will not be wiped away.
Smiting and shame, shall he find, and, his reproach, shall not be wiped out;
34 For jealousy arouses the fury of the husband. He will not spare in the day of vengeance.
For, jealousy, is the rage of a man, nor will he spare, in the day of avenging;
35 He will not regard any ransom, neither will he rest content, though you give many gifts.
He will not look, at any ransom, neither will he consent, though thou increase the bribe.
