Proverbs 6:20–35

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.