Proverbs 6:1–5

My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor,

have given your pledge for a stranger,

if you are snared in the words of your mouth,

caught in the words of your mouth,

then do this, my son, and save yourself,

for you have come into the hand of your neighbor:

go, hasten, and plead urgently with your neighbor.

Give your eyes no sleep

and your eyelids no slumber;

save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,

like a bird from the hand of the fowler.

My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor,

if you have shaken hands in pledge 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—

and give your neighbor no rest!

Allow no sleep to your eyes,

no slumber to your eyelids.

Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,

like a bird from the snare of the fowler.

My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor

or entered into an agreement with a stranger,

you have been snared by the words of your mouth

trapped by the words from your mouth.

Do this, then, my son, and free yourself,

for you have put yourself in your neighbor’s power:

Go, humble yourself, and plead with your neighbor.

Don’t give sleep to your eyes

or slumber to your eyelids.

Escape like a gazelle from a hunter,

like a bird from a hunter’s trap.

My child, if you have put up security for a friend’s debt

or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger—

if you have trapped yourself by your agreement

and are caught by what you said—

follow my advice and save yourself,

for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy.

Now swallow your pride;

go and beg to have your name erased.

Don’t put it off; do it now!

Don’t rest until you do.

Save yourself like a gazelle escaping from a hunter,

like a bird fleeing from a net.

My child, if you have pledged to your neighbor,

if you have bound yourself to the stranger,

if you are snared by the sayings of your mouth,

if you are caught by the sayings of your mouth,

do this, then, my child, and save yourself,

for you have come into the palm of your neighbor’s hand:

Go, humble yourself, plead with your neighbor.

Do not give sleep to your eyes,

or slumber to your eyelids.

Save yourself like a gazelle from a hand,

or like a bird from the hand of a fowler.

My son, if thou be surety for thy friend,

If thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,

Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth,

Thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.

Do 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.

Give not sleep to thine eyes,

Nor slumber to thine eyelids.

Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter,

And as a bird from the hand of the fowler.