Proverbs 6

1 My son, if you set aside your money as a guarantee for your neighbor's loan, if you gave your promise for a loan of someone you do not know,

My son, if you have made yourself responsible for your neighbour, or given your word for another,

2 then you have laid a trap for yourself by your promise and you have been caught by the words of your mouth.

You are taken as in a net by the words of your mouth, the sayings of your lips have overcome you.

3 When you are caught by your words, my son, do this and save yourself, since you have fallen into the hand of your neighbor; go and humble yourself and make your case before your neighbor.

Do this, my son, and make yourself free, because you have come into the power of your neighbour; go without waiting, and make a strong request to your neighbour.

4 Give your eyes no sleep and your eyelids no slumber.

Give no sleep to your eyes, or rest to them;

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

Make yourself free, like the roe from the hand of the archer, and the bird from him who puts a net for her.

6 Look at the ant, you lazy person, consider her ways, and be wise.

Go to the ant, you hater of work; give thought to her ways and be wise:

7 It has no commander, officer, or ruler,

Having no chief, overseer, or ruler,

8 yet it prepares its food in the summer and during the harvest it stores up what it will eat.

She gets her meat in the summer, storing up food at the time of the grain-cutting.

9 How long will you sleep, you lazy person? When will you rise from your sleep?

How long will you be sleeping, O hater of work? when will you get up from your sleep?

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

A little sleep, a little rest, a little folding of the hands in sleep:

11 and your poverty will come like a robber and your needs like an armed soldier.

Then loss will come on you like an outlaw, and your need like an armed man

12 A worthless person—a wicked man— lives by the crookedness of his speech,

A good-for-nothing man is an evil-doer; he goes on his way causing trouble with false words;

13 winking his eyes, making signals with his feet and pointing with his fingers.

Making signs with his eyes, rubbing with his feet, and giving news with his fingers;

14 He plots evil with deceit in his heart; he always stirs up discord.

His mind is ever designing evil: he lets loose violent acts.

15 Therefore his disaster will overtake him in an instant; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.

For this cause his downfall will be sudden; quickly he will be broken, and there will be no help for him.

16 There are six things that Yahweh hates, seven that are disgusting to him.

Six things are hated by the Lord; seven things are disgusting to him:

17 The eyes of a proud person, a tongue that lies, hands that shed the blood of innocent people,

Eyes of pride, a false tongue, hands which take life without cause;

18 a heart that invents wicked schemes, feet that quickly run to do evil,

A heart full of evil designs, feet which are quick in running after sin;

19 a witness who breathes out lies and one who sows discord among brothers.

A false witness, breathing out untrue words, and one who lets loose violent acts among brothers.

20 My son, obey the command of your father and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.

My son, keep the rule of your father, and have in memory the teaching of your mother:

21 Always bind them on your heart; tie them about your neck.

Keep them ever folded in your heart, and have them hanging round your neck.

22 When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; and when you wake up, they will teach you.

In your walking, it will be your guide; when you are sleeping, it will keep watch over you; when you are awake, it will have talk with you.

23 For the commands are a lamp, and the teaching is a light; the corrections that come by instruction are the way of life.

For the rule is a light, and the teaching a shining light; and the guiding words of training are the way of life.

24 It keeps you from the immoral woman, from the smooth words of an immoral woman.

They will keep you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the strange woman.

25 Do not lust in your heart after her beauty and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes.

Let not your heart's desire go after her fair body; let not her eyes take you prisoner.

26 Sleeping with a prostitute can cost the price of a loaf of bread, but the wife of another may cost you your very life.

For a loose woman is looking for a cake of bread, but another man's wife goes after one's very life.

27 Can a man carry a fire against his chest without burning his clothes?

May a man take fire to his breast without burning his clothing?

28 Can a man walk on hot coals without scorching his feet?

Or may one go on lighted coals, and his feet not be burned?

29 So is the man who sleeps with his neighbor's wife; the one who sleeps with her will not go unpunished.

So it is with him who goes in to his neighbour's wife; he who has anything to do with her will not go free from punishment.

30 People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his need when he is hungry.

Men do not have a low opinion of a thief who takes food when he is in need of it:

31 Yet if he is caught, he will pay back seven times what he stole; he must give up everything of value in his house.

But if he is taken in the act he will have to give back seven times as much, giving up all his property which is in his house.

32 The one who commits adultery has no sense; the one who does it destroys himself.

He who takes another man's wife is without all sense: he who does it is the cause of destruction to his soul.

33 Wounds and shame are what he deserves and his disgrace will not be wiped away.

Wounds will be his and loss of honour, and his shame may not be washed away.

34 For jealousy makes a man furious; he will show no mercy when he takes his revenge.

For bitter is the wrath of an angry husband; in the day of punishment he will have no mercy.

35 He will accept no compensation and he cannot be bought off, though you offer him many gifts.

He will not take any payment; and he will not make peace with you though your money offerings are increased.