Proverbs 6
1 My son, if you have taken a pledge on behalf of your friend, then you have bound your hand to an outsider,
My son, if thou hast become surety for another, If thou hast stricken hands for another,
2 then you are ensnared by the words of your own mouth, and taken captive by your own words.
If thou hast become ensnared by the words of thy mouth, If thou hast been caught by the words of thy mouth,
3 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.
Do this now, my son, and rescue thyself, —Since thou hast fallen into the hands of thy neighbor, —Go, prostrate thyself, and be urgent with thy neighbor!
4 Do not grant sleep to your eyes, nor let your eyelids slumber.
Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids;
5 Rescue yourself like a gazelle from the hand, and like a bird from the hand of the fowler.
Rescue thyself, as a roe from the hand, And as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6 Go to the ant, you lazy one, and consider her ways, and so learn wisdom.
Go to the ant, O sluggard! Consider her ways, and be wise!
7 For though she has no ruler, nor instructor, nor leader,
She hath no governor, Nor overseer, nor ruler;
8 she provides meals for herself in the summer, and she gathers at the harvest what she may eat.
Yet she prepareth in the summer her food, She gathereth in the harvest her meat.
9 How long will you slumber, you lazy one? When will you rise up from your sleep?
How long wilt thou lie in bed, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise from thy sleep?
10 You will sleep a little, you will slumber a little, you will fold your hands a little to sleep,
“A little sleep, —a little slumber, —A little folding of the hands to rest:”
11 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.
So shall thy poverty come upon thee like a robber, Yea, thy want, as an armed man!
12 An apostate man, a harmful man, walks with a perverse mouth;
A worthless wretch is the unrighteous man, Who walketh with a deceitful mouth;
13 he winks with the eyes, touches with the foot, speaks with the finger.
Who winketh with his eyes, Speaketh with his feet, And teacheth with his fingers.
14 With a depraved heart he devises evil, and at all times he sows conflict.
Fraud is in his heart; He deviseth mischief continually; He scattereth contentions.
15 To this one, his perdition will arrive promptly, and he shall be crushed suddenly: he will no longer have any remedy.
Therefore shall calamity come upon him suddenly; In a moment shall he be destroyed, and that without remedy;
16 Six things there are that the Lord hates, and the seventh, his soul detests:
These six things doth the LORD hate; Yea, seven are an abomination to him:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
Lofty eyes, a false tongue, And hands which shed innocent blood;
18 a heart that devises the most wicked thoughts, feet running swiftly unto evil,
A heart that contriveth wicked devices; Feet that are swift in running to mischief,
19 a deceitful witness bringing forth lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.
A false witness, that uttereth lies, And him that soweth discord among brethren.
20 My son, preserve the precepts of your father, and do not dismiss the law of your mother.
Keep, O my son! the commandment of thy father, And forsake not the precepts of thy mother!
21 Bind them to your heart unceasingly, and encircle them around your throat.
Bind them continually to thy heart, Tie them around thy neck!
22 When you walk, let them keep step with you. When you sleep, let them guard you. And when you keep watch, speak with them.
When thou goest forth, they shall guide thee; When thou sleepest, they shall watch over thee; And, when thou awakest, they shall talk with thee.
23 For commandment is a lamp, and law is a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life.
For the commandment is a lamp, and instruction a light; Yea, the rebukes of correction lead to life.
24 So may they guard you from an evil woman, and from the flattering tongue of the outsider.
They shall guard thee from the evil woman, From the smooth tongue of the unchaste woman.
25 Let not your heart desire her beauty; do not be captivated by her winks.
Desire not her beauty in thy heart, Nor let her catch thee with her eyelids;
26 For the price of a prostitute is only one loaf. Yet the woman seizes the precious soul of a man.
For by a harlot a man is brought to a morsel of bread, And the adulteress layeth snares for the precious life.
27 Would a man be able to conceal fire in his bosom, so that his garments would not burn?
Can a man take fire into his bosom, And his clothes not be burned?
28 Or could he walk over burning coals, so that his feet would not be burned?
Can one walk upon burning coals, And his feet not be scorched?
29 So also, he who enters to the wife of his neighbor shall not be clean when he touches her.
So is it with him who goeth in to his neighbor's wife; Whoever toucheth her shall not go unpunished.
30 Not so great is the fault when someone has stolen. For he steals so as to satisfy a hungry soul.
Men do not overlook a thief, Though he steal to satisfy his appetite, when he is hungry;
31 Also, if he is apprehended, he shall repay sevenfold and hand over all the substance of his house.
If found, he must repay sevenfold, And give up all the substance of his house.
32 But whoever is an adulterer, because of the emptiness of his heart, will destroy his own soul.
Whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding; He that doeth it destroyeth himself;
33 He gathers shame and dishonor to himself, and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
Blows and dishonor shall he get, And his reproach shall not be wiped away.
34 For the jealousy and fury of the husband will not spare him on the day of vindication,
For jealousy is the fury of a man; He will not spare in the day of vengeance;
35 nor will he agree to the pleadings of anyone, nor will he accept, as repayment, a multitude of gifts.
And he will not pay regard to any ransom, Nor be content, though thou offer many gifts.
