Proverbs 6

¹My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,

²Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.

³Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.

⁴Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.

⁵Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

⁶Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

⁷Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,

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

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

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

¹¹So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.

¹²A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.

¹³He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;

¹⁴Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.

¹⁵Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.

¹⁶These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:

¹⁷A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

¹⁸An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,

¹⁹A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

²⁰My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

²¹Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.

²²When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.

²³For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

²⁴To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.

²⁵Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.

²⁶For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life.

²⁷Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?

²⁸Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?

²⁹So he that goeth in to his neighbour’s wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.

³⁰Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;

³¹But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.

³²But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.

³³A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.

³⁴For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

³⁵He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.

Proverbs 6

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

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

³Do, 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:

⁴Give not sleep to thy eyes, neither let thy eyelids slumber.

⁵Deliver thyself as a doe from the hand, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

⁶Go to the ant, O sluggard, and consider her ways, and learn wisdom:

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

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

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

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

¹¹And 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.

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

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

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

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

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

¹⁷Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,

¹⁸A heart that deviseth wicked plots, feet that are swift to run into mischief,

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

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

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

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

²³Because the commandment is a lamp, and the law a light, and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

²⁴That they may keep thee from the evil woman, and from the flattering tongue of the stranger.

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

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

²⁷Can a man hide fire in his bosom, and his garments not burn?

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

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

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

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

³²But he that is an adulterer, for the folly of his heart shall destroy his own soul:

³³He gathereth to himself shame and dishonour, and his reproach shall not be blotted out:

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

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