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 thou art become surety for thy neighbour, if thou hast struck thy hands for a stranger —

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

Thou art snared by the words of thy mouth, thou art caught by the words of thy mouth —

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 now, my son, and deliver thyself, seeing thou art come into the hand of thy neighbour; go, humble thyself, and urge thy neighbour.

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

Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.

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

Deliver thyself as a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

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

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

7 It has no commander, officer, or ruler,

Which 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.

Provideth her bread in the summer, and gatherest her food in the harvest.

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

How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

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

'Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep' —

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

So shall thy poverty come as a runner, and thy want as an armed man.

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

A base person, a man of iniquity, is he that walketh with a froward mouth;

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

That winketh with his eyes, that scrapeth with his feet, that pointeth with his fingers;

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

Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth evil continually; he soweth discord.

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

Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; on a sudden shall he be broken, and that without remedy.

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

There are six things which the LORD hateth, yea, seven which are an abomination unto Him:

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

Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood;

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

A heart that deviseth wicked thoughts, feet that are swift in running to evil;

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

A false witness that breatheth out lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

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

My son, keep the commandment of thy father, and forsake not the teaching of thy mother;

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

Bind them continually upon thy heart, tie them about thy 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.

When thou walkest, it shall lead thee, when thou liest down, it shall watch over thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.

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 commandment is a lamp, and the teaching is light, and reproofs of instruction are the way of life;

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

To keep thee from the evil woman, from the smoothness of the alien tongue.

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

Lust not after her beauty in thy heart; neither let her captivate thee with her eyelids.

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 on account of a harlot a man is brought to a loaf of bread, but the adulteress hunteth for the precious life.

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

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

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

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

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

So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not go unpunished.

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

Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;

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 be found, he must restore sevenfold, he must give all the substance of his house.

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

He that committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding; he doeth it that would destroy his own soul.

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

Wounds and dishonour shall he get, and his reproach shall not be wiped away.

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

For jealousy is the rage of a man, and he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

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

He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.