Proverbs 6

1 My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, thou hast engaged fast thy hand to a stranger.

My son, if thou have become surety for thy neighbour, —have struck for a stranger thy hands,

2 Thou art ensnared with the words of thy mouth, and caught with thy own words.

Thou hast been snared by the sayings of thy mouth, —thou hast been caught by the sayings of thy mouth.

3 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:

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 not sleep to thy eyes, neither let thy eyelids slumber.

Do not give sleep to thine eyes, or slumber to thine eyelashes;

5 Deliver thyself as a doe from the hand, and as a bird from the hand 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, O sluggard, and consider her ways, and learn wisdom:

Go to the ant, thou sluggard, observe her ways, and be wise;

7 Which, although she hath no guide, nor master, nor captain,

Which, having no harvest, scribe, or ruler,

8 Provideth her meat for herself in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

Prepareth, in the summer, her food, hath collected, in the harvest, her sustenance.

9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou rise out of thy sleep?

How long, O sluggard, wilt thou lie? how long ere thou rise from thy sleep?

10 Thou wilt sleep a little, thou wilt slumber a little, thou wilt fold thy hands a little to sleep:

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

11 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.

So shall come in, as a highwayman, thy poverty, and, thy want, as one armed with a shield.

12 A man that is an apostate, an unprofitable man, walketh with a perverse mouth,

An abandoned man, a man of iniquity, [is he] who—goeth on in perversity of mouth;

13 He winketh with the eyes, presseth with the foot, speaketh with the finger.

Winketh with his eyes, speaketh with his foot, pointeth with his fingers;

14 With a wicked heart he deviseth evil, and at all times he soweth discord.

[Hath] perverse things in his heart, deviseth mischief on every occasion, strifes, he sendeth forth.

15 To such a one his destruction shall presently come, and he shall suddenly be destroyed, and shall no longer have any remedy.

For this cause, suddenly cometh his doom, in a moment, shall he be torn in pieces and there be no mending.

16 Six things there are, which the Lord hateth, and the seventh his soul detesteth:

These six things, doth Yahweh hate, yea, seven, are the abomination of his soul: —

17 Haughty 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 deviseth wicked plots, feet that are swift to run into mischief,

A heart contriving iniquitous devices, feet hasting to run into mischief;

19 A deceitful witness that uttereth lies, and him that soweth discord among brethren.

One that uttereth lies—a false witness, and one sending forth strifes between brethren.

20 My son, beep the commandments of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother.

Observe thou, my son, the commandment of thy father, and do not decline from the instruction of thy mother:

21 Bind them in thy heart continually, and put them about thy neck.

Bind them upon thy heart continually, fasten them upon thy neck;

22 When thou walkest, let them go with thee: when thou sleepest, let them keep thee; and when thou awakest, talk with them.

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 Because the commandment is a lamp, and the law a light, and 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 That they may keep thee from the evil woman, and from the flattering tongue of the stranger.

To keep thee from the wicked woman, from the flattery of the tongue of her that is a stranger.

25 Let not thy heart covet her beauty, be not caught with her winks:

Do not covet her beauty, in thy heart, neither let her take thee, by her eyelashes;

26 For the price of a harlot is scarce one loaf: but the woman catcheth the precious soul of a man.

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 hide fire in his bosom, and his garments not burn?

Can a man snatch up fire in his bosom, and, his clothes, not be burned?

28 Or can he walk upon hot coals, and his feet not be burnt?

Or can a man walk upon hot coals, and, his feet, not be burned?

29 So he that goeth in to his neighbour’s wife, shall not be clean when he shall touch her.

So, he that goeth in unto his neighbour’s wife, no man shall be guiltless who toucheth her!

30 The fault is not so great when a man hath stolen: for he stealeth to fill his hungry soul:

Men despise not a thief, when he stealeth, to satisfy his appetite, because he is famished;

31 And if he be taken he shall restore sevenfold, and shall give up all the substance of his house.

Yet, if found, he must pay back sevenfold, All the substance of his house, must he give:

32 But he that is an adulterer, for the folly of his heart shall destroy 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 gathereth to himself shame and dishonour, and his reproach shall not be blotted out:

Smiting and shame, shall he find, and, his reproach, shall not be wiped out;

34 Because the jealousy and rage of the husband will not spare in the day of revenge,

For, jealousy, is the rage of a man, nor will he spare, in the day of avenging;

35 Nor will he yield to any man’s prayers, nor will he accept for satisfaction ever so many gifts.

He will not look, at any ransom, neither will he consent, though thou increase the bribe.