Proverbs, 6

¹ My son, if you have put up security^*1 for your neighbor, If you have given your handshake^*2 to a stranger,

² If you have been ensnared by your promise, Caught by the words of your mouth,

³ Do this, my son, and free yourself, For you have fallen into the hand of your neighbor: Go and humble yourself and urgently plead with your neighbor.

⁴ Do not allow your eyes to sleep, Nor your eyelids to slumber.

⁵ Free yourself like a gazelle from the hunter’s hand, Like a bird from the hand of the birdcatcher.

⁶ Go to the ant, you lazy one; Observe its ways and become wise.

⁷ Although it has no commander, officer, or ruler,

⁸ It prepares its food in the summer, And it gathers its food supplies in the harvest.

⁹ How long, you lazy one, will you lie there? When will you rise up from your sleep?

¹⁰ A little sleep, a little slumbering, A little folding of the hands to rest,

¹¹ And your poverty will come like a bandit, And your want like an armed man.

¹² A useless and wicked man walks about with crooked speech;

¹³ He winks with his eye, signals with his foot, and motions with his fingers.

¹⁴ With a perverted heart, He is always scheming evil and spreading contentions.

¹⁵ Therefore, his disaster will come suddenly; In a moment he will be broken beyond healing.

¹⁶ There are six things that Jehovah hates; Yes, seven things that he^*1 detests:

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

¹⁸ A heart plotting wicked schemes, and feet that run quickly to evil,

¹⁹ A false witness who lies with every breath, And anyone sowing contentions among brothers.

²⁰ Observe, my son, the commandment of your father, And do not forsake the instruction^*1 of your mother.

²¹ Always bind them around your heart; Tie them about your neck.

²² When you walk about, it will lead you; When you lie down, it will stand guard over you; And when you awaken, it will speak to you.^*1

²³ For the commandment is a lamp, And the law is a light, And the reproofs of discipline are the way to life.

²⁴ They will guard you against the bad woman, Against the seductive tongue of the immoral^*1 woman.

²⁵ Do not desire her beauty in your heart Or allow her to captivate you with her alluring eyes,

²⁶ For because of a prostitute, a man is reduced to a loaf of bread, But the wife of another man preys on a precious life.^*1

²⁷ Can a man rake fire to his chest and not burn his garments?

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

²⁹ It is the same with anyone having relations with his neighbor’s wife; No one who touches her will go unpunished.

³⁰ People do not despise a thief If he steals to satisfy himself^*1 when he is hungry.

³¹ Yet, when found, he will repay sevenfold; He will give up all the valuables of his house.

³² Anyone committing adultery with a woman is lacking good sense;^*1 The one who does so brings ruin on himself.^*2

³³ He will get only wounds and dishonor, And his disgrace will not be wiped away.

³⁴ For jealousy makes a husband furious; He will show no compassion when he takes revenge.

³⁵ He will accept no compensation;^*1 He will not be appeased, no matter how large you make the gift.