Proverbs 6

Dangerous Promises

6My son, ^aif you become ¹surety for your friend,

If you have ²shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,

²You are snared by the words of your mouth;

You are taken by the words of your mouth.

³So do this, my son, and deliver yourself;

For you have come into the hand of your friend:

Go and humble yourself;

Plead with your friend.

^4bGive no sleep to your eyes,

Nor slumber to your eyelids.

⁵Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,

And like a bird from the hand of the ³fowler.

The Folly of Indolence

^6cGo to the ant, you sluggard!

Consider her ways and be wise,

⁷Which, having no ⁴captain,

Overseer or ruler,

⁸Provides her ⁵supplies in the summer,

And gathers her food in the harvest.

^9dHow long will you ⁶slumber, O sluggard?

When will you rise from your sleep?

¹⁰A little sleep, a little slumber,

A little folding of the hands to sleep—

^11eSo shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,

And your need like an armed man.

The Wicked Man

¹²A worthless person, a wicked man,

Walks with a perverse mouth;

^13fHe winks with his eyes,

He ⁷shuffles his feet,

He points with his fingers;

¹⁴Perversity is in his heart,

^gHe devises evil continually,

^hHe sows discord.

¹⁵Therefore his calamity shall come ⁱsuddenly;

Suddenly he shall ^jbe broken ^kwithout remedy.

¹⁶These six things the Lord hates,

Yes, seven are an abomination to ⁸Him:

^17lA ⁹proud look,

^mA lying tongue,

ⁿHands that shed innocent blood,

^18oA heart that devises wicked plans,

^pFeet that are swift in running to evil,

^19qA false witness who speaks lies,

And one who ^rsows discord among brethren.

Beware of Adultery

^20sMy son, keep your father’s command,

And do not forsake the law of your mother.

^21tBind them continually upon your heart;

Tie them around your neck.

^22uWhen you roam, ¹they will lead you;

When you sleep, ^vthey will keep you;

And when you awake, they will speak with you.

^23wFor the commandment is a lamp,

And the law a light;

Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,

^24xTo keep you from the evil woman,

From the flattering tongue of a seductress.

^25yDo not lust after her beauty in your heart,

Nor let her allure you with her eyelids.

²⁶For ^zby means of a harlot

A man is reduced to a crust of bread;

^aAnd ²an adulteress will ^bprey upon his precious life.

²⁷Can a man take fire to his bosom,

And his clothes not be burned?

²⁸Can one walk on hot coals,

And his feet not be seared?

²⁹So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;

Whoever touches her shall not be innocent.

³⁰People do not despise a thief

If he steals to satisfy himself when he is starving.

³¹Yet when he is found, ^che must restore sevenfold;

He may have to give up all the substance of his house.

³²Whoever commits adultery with a woman ^dlacks understanding;

He who does so destroys his own soul.

³³Wounds and dishonor he will get,

And his reproach will not be wiped away.

³⁴For ^ejealousy is a husband’s fury;

Therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

³⁵He will ³accept no recompense,

Nor will he be appeased though you give many gifts.