Proverbs 6

¹My son, if you have made yourself responsible for your neighbour, or given your word for another,

²You are taken as in a net by the words of your mouth, the sayings of your lips have overcome you.

³Do 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.

⁴Give no sleep to your eyes, or rest to them;

⁵Make yourself free, like the roe from the hand of the archer, and the bird from him who puts a net for her.

⁶Go to the ant, you hater of work; give thought to her ways and be wise:

⁷Having no chief, overseer, or ruler,

⁸She gets her meat in the summer, storing up food at the time of the grain-cutting.

⁹How long will you be sleeping, O hater of work? when will you get up from your sleep?

¹⁰A little sleep, a little rest, a little folding of the hands in sleep:

¹¹Then loss will come on you like an outlaw, and your need like an armed man

¹²A good-for-nothing man is an evil-doer; he goes on his way causing trouble with false words;

¹³Making signs with his eyes, rubbing with his feet, and giving news with his fingers;

¹⁴His mind is ever designing evil: he lets loose violent acts.

¹⁵For this cause his downfall will be sudden; quickly he will be broken, and there will be no help for him.

¹⁶Six things are hated by the Lord; seven things are disgusting to him:

¹⁷Eyes of pride, a false tongue, hands which take life without cause;

¹⁸A heart full of evil designs, feet which are quick in running after sin;

¹⁹A false witness, breathing out untrue words, and one who lets loose violent acts among brothers.

²⁰My son, keep the rule of your father, and have in memory the teaching of your mother:

²¹Keep them ever folded in your heart, and have them hanging round your neck.

²²In 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.

²³For the rule is a light, and the teaching a shining light; and the guiding words of training are the way of life.

²⁴They will keep you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the strange woman.

²⁵Let not your heart's desire go after her fair body; let not her eyes take you prisoner.

²⁶For a loose woman is looking for a cake of bread, but another man's wife goes after one's very life.

²⁷May a man take fire to his breast without burning his clothing?

²⁸Or may one go on lighted coals, and his feet not be burned?

²⁹So 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.

³⁰Men do not have a low opinion of a thief who takes food when he is in need of it:

³¹But 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.

³²He who takes another man's wife is without all sense: he who does it is the cause of destruction to his soul.

³³Wounds will be his and loss of honour, and his shame may not be washed away.

³⁴For bitter is the wrath of an angry husband; in the day of punishment he will have no mercy.

³⁵He will not take any payment; and he will not make peace with you though your money offerings are increased.

Proverbs 6

¹My son, if you have become collateral for your neighbor, if you have struck your hands in pledge for a stranger;

²You are trapped by the words of your mouth. You are ensnared with the words of your mouth.

³Do this now, my son, and deliver yourself, seeing you have come into the hand of your neighbor. Go, humble yourself. Press your plea with your neighbor.

⁴Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids.

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

⁶Go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider her ways, and be wise;

⁷which having no chief, overseer, or ruler,

⁸provides her bread in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.

⁹How long will you sleep, sluggard? When will you arise out of your sleep?

¹⁰A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

¹¹so your poverty will come as a robber, and your scarcity as an armed man.

¹²A worthless person, a man of iniquity, is he who walks with a perverse mouth;

¹³who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet, who motions with his fingers;

¹⁴in whose heart is perverseness, who devises evil continually, who always sows discord.

¹⁵Therefore his calamity will come suddenly. He will be broken suddenly, and that without remedy.

¹⁶There are six things which the Lord hates; yes, seven which are an abomination to him:

¹⁷haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood;

¹⁸a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are swift in running to mischief,

¹⁹a false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.

²⁰My son, keep your father's commandment, and do not forsake your mother's teaching.

²¹Bind them continually on your heart. Tie them around your neck.

²²When you walk, it will lead you. When you sleep, it will watch over you. When you awake, it will talk with you.

²³For the commandment is a lamp, and the Law is light. Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,

²⁴to keep you from the immoral woman, from the flattery of the wayward wife's tongue.

²⁵Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, neither let her captivate you with her eyelids.

²⁶For a prostitute reduces you to a piece of bread. The adulteress hunts for your precious life.

²⁷Can a man scoop fire into his lap, and his clothes not be burned?

²⁸Or can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be scorched?

²⁹So is he who goes in to his neighbor's wife. Whoever touches her will not be unpunished.

³⁰Men do not despise a thief, if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry:

³¹but if he is found, he shall restore seven times. He shall give all the wealth of his house.

³²He who commits adultery with a woman is void of understanding. He who does it destroys his own soul.

³³He will get wounds and dishonor. His reproach will not be wiped away.

³⁴For jealousy arouses the fury of the husband. He won't spare in the day of vengeance.

³⁵He won't regard any ransom, neither will he rest content, though you give many gifts.