Proverbs 6:20–29

My son, keep your father’s commandment,

and forsake not your mother’s teaching.

Bind them on your heart always;

tie them around your neck.

When you walk, they will lead you;

when you lie down, they will watch over you;

and when you awake, they will talk with you.

For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,

and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,

to preserve you from the evil woman,

from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.

Do not desire her beauty in your heart,

and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;

for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread,

but a married woman hunts down a precious life.

Can a man carry fire next to his chest

and his clothes not be burned?

Or can one walk on hot coals

and his feet not be scorched?

So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;

none who touches her will go unpunished.

My son, keep your father’s command

and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

Bind them always on your heart;

fasten them around your neck.

When you walk, they will guide you;

when you sleep, they will watch over you;

when you awake, they will speak to you.

For this command is a lamp,

this teaching is a light,

and correction and instruction

are the way to life,

keeping you from your neighbor’s wife,

from the smooth talk of a wayward woman.

Do not lust in your heart after her beauty

or let her captivate you with her eyes.

For a prostitute can be had for a loaf of bread,

but another man’s wife preys on your very life.

Can a man scoop fire into his lap

without his clothes being burned?

Can a man walk on hot coals

without his feet being scorched?

So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife;

no one who touches her will go unpunished.

My son, keep your father’s command,

and don’t reject your mother’s teaching.

Always bind them to your heart;

tie them around your neck.

When you walk here and there, they will guide you;

when you lie down, they will watch over you;

when you wake up, they will talk to you.

For a command is a lamp, teaching is a light,

and corrective discipline is the way to life.

They will protect you from an evil woman,

from the flattering tongue of a wayward woman.

Don’t lust in your heart for her beauty

or let her captivate you with her eyelashes.

For a prostitute’s fee is only a loaf of bread,

but the wife of another man goes after a precious life.

Can a man embrace fire

and his clothes not be burned?

Can a man walk on burning coals

without scorching his feet?

So it is with the one who sleeps with

another man’s wife;

no one who touches her will go unpunished.

My son, obey your father’s commands,

and don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.

Keep their words always in your heart.

Tie them around your neck.

When you walk, their counsel will lead you.

When you sleep, they will protect you.

When you wake up, they will advise you.

For their command is a lamp

and their instruction a light;

their corrective discipline

is the way to life.

It will keep you from the immoral woman,

from the smooth tongue of a promiscuous woman.

Don’t lust for her beauty.

Don’t let her coy glances seduce you.

For a prostitute will bring you to poverty,

but sleeping with another man’s wife will cost you your life.

Can a man scoop a flame into his lap

and not have his clothes catch on fire?

Can he walk on hot coals

and not blister his feet?

So it is with the man who sleeps with another man’s wife.

He who embraces her will not go unpunished.

My child, keep the commandment of your father,

and do not disregard the instruction of your mother.

Bind them on your heart continually;

tie them upon your neck.

When you walk, she will lead you,

When you lie down, she will watch over you,

and when you awake, she will converse with you.

For like a lamp is a commandment, and instruction is light,

and the way of life is the reproof of discipline,

in order to preserve you from an evil woman,

from the smoothness of the tongue of an adulteress.

Do not desire her beauty in your heart;

may she not capture you with her eyelashes.

For the price of a woman, a prostitute, is the price of a loaf of bread,

but the woman belonging to a man hunts precious life.

Can a man carry fire in his lap,

and his clothes not burn?

If a man walks upon the hot coals,

will his feet not be burned?

Thus, he who goes to the wife of his neighbor,

any who touches her shall not go unpunished.

My son, keep thy father’s commandment,

And forsake not the law of thy mother:

Bind them continually upon thine heart,

And tie them about thy neck.

When thou goest, it shall lead thee;

When thou sleepest, it shall keep thee;

And when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.

For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light;

And reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

To keep thee from the evil woman,

From the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.

Lust not after her beauty in thine heart;

Neither let her take thee with her eyelids.

For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread:

And the adulteress will hunt for the precious life.

Can a man take fire in his bosom,

And his clothes not be burned?

Can one go upon hot coals,

And his feet not be burned?

So he that goeth in to his neighbour’s wife;

Whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.