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My son! if thou hast been surety for thy friend, Hast stricken for a stranger thy hand,

Hast been snared with sayings of thy mouth, Hast been captured with sayings of thy mouth,

Do this now, my son, and be delivered, For thou hast come into the hand of thy friend. Go, trample on thyself, and strengthen thy friend,

Give not sleep to thine eyes, And slumber to thine eyelids,

Be delivered as a roe from the hand, And as a bird from the hand of a fowler.

Go unto the ant, O slothful one, See her ways and be wise;

Which hath not captain, overseer, and ruler,

She doth prepare in summer her bread, She hath gathered in harvest her food.

Till when, O slothful one, dost thou lie? When dost thou arise from thy sleep?

10 A little sleep, a little slumber, A little clasping of the hands to rest,

11 And thy poverty hath come as a traveller, And thy want as an armed man.

12 A man of worthlessness, a man of iniquity, Walking [with] perverseness of mouth,

13 Winking with his eyes, speaking with his feet, Directing with his fingers,

14 Frowardness [is] in his heart, devising evil at all times, Contentions he sendeth forth.

15 Therefore suddenly cometh his calamity, Instantly he is broken -- and no healing.

16 These six hath Jehovah hated, Yea, seven [are] abominations to His soul.

17 Eyes high -- tongues false -- And hands shedding innocent blood --

18 A heart devising thoughts of vanity -- Feet hasting to run to evil --

19 A false witness [who] doth breathe out lies -- And one sending forth contentions between brethren.

20 Keep, my son, the command of thy father, And leave not the law of thy mother.

21 Bind them on thy heart continually, Tie them on thy neck.

22 In thy going up and down, it leadeth thee, In thy lying down, it watcheth over thee, And thou hast awaked -- it talketh [with] thee.

23 For a lamp [is] the command, And the law a light, And a way of life [are] reproofs of instruction,

24 To preserve thee from an evil woman, From the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.

25 Desire not her beauty in thy heart, And let her not take thee with her eyelids.

26 For a harlot consumeth unto a cake of bread, And an adulteress the precious soul hunteth.

27 Doth a man take fire into his bosom, And are his garments not burnt?

28 Doth a man walk on the hot coals, And are his feet not scorched?

29 So [is] he who hath gone in unto the wife of his neighbour, None who doth touch her is innocent.

30 They do not despise the thief, When he stealeth to fill his soul when he is hungry,

31 And being found he repayeth sevenfold, All the substance of his house he giveth.

32 He who committeth adultery [with] a woman lacketh heart, He is destroying his soul who doth it.

33 A stroke and shame he doth find, And his reproach is not wiped away,

34 For jealousy [is] the fury of a man, And he doth not spare in a day of vengeance.

35 He accepteth not the appearance of any atonement, Yea, he doth not consent, Though thou dost multiply bribes!

Warnings Against Folly

My son,(A) if you have put up security(B) for your neighbor,(C)
    if you have shaken hands in pledge(D) for a stranger,
you have been trapped by what you said,
    ensnared by the words of your mouth.
So do this, my son, to free yourself,
    since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands:
Go—to the point of exhaustion—[a]
    and give your neighbor no rest!
Allow no sleep to your eyes,
    no slumber to your eyelids.(E)
Free yourself, like a gazelle(F) from the hand of the hunter,(G)
    like a bird from the snare of the fowler.(H)

Go to the ant, you sluggard;(I)
    consider its ways and be wise!
It has no commander,
    no overseer or ruler,
yet it stores its provisions in summer(J)
    and gathers its food at harvest.(K)

How long will you lie there, you sluggard?(L)
    When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest(M)
11 and poverty(N) will come on you like a thief
    and scarcity like an armed man.

12 A troublemaker and a villain,
    who goes about with a corrupt mouth,
13     who winks maliciously with his eye,(O)
    signals with his feet
    and motions with his fingers,(P)
14     who plots evil(Q) with deceit in his heart—
    he always stirs up conflict.(R)
15 Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant;(S)
    he will suddenly(T) be destroyed—without remedy.(U)

16 There are six things the Lord hates,(V)
    seven that are detestable to him:
17         haughty eyes,(W)
        a lying tongue,(X)
        hands that shed innocent blood,(Y)
18         a heart that devises wicked schemes,
        feet that are quick to rush into evil,(Z)
19         a false witness(AA) who pours out lies(AB)
        and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.(AC)

Warning Against Adultery

20 My son,(AD) keep your father’s command
    and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.(AE)
21 Bind them always on your heart;
    fasten them around your neck.(AF)
22 When you walk, they will guide you;
    when you sleep, they will watch over you;
    when you awake, they will speak to you.
23 For this command is a lamp,
    this teaching is a light,(AG)
and correction and instruction
    are the way to life,(AH)
24 keeping you from your neighbor’s wife,
    from the smooth talk of a wayward woman.(AI)

25 Do not lust in your heart after her beauty
    or let her captivate you with her eyes.

26 For a prostitute can be had for a loaf of bread,
    but another man’s wife preys on your very life.(AJ)
27 Can a man scoop fire into his lap
    without his clothes being burned?
28 Can a man walk on hot coals
    without his feet being scorched?
29 So is he who sleeps(AK) with another man’s wife;(AL)
    no one who touches her will go unpunished.

30 People do not despise a thief if he steals
    to satisfy his hunger when he is starving.
31 Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold,(AM)
    though it costs him all the wealth of his house.
32 But a man who commits adultery(AN) has no sense;(AO)
    whoever does so destroys himself.
33 Blows and disgrace are his lot,
    and his shame will never(AP) be wiped away.

34 For jealousy(AQ) arouses a husband’s fury,(AR)
    and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.
35 He will not accept any compensation;
    he will refuse a bribe, however great it is.(AS)

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 6:3 Or Go and humble yourself,