Proverbs 6

¹ My son, if you have made yourself responsible for your neighbour, or given your word for another,

² You are taken as in a net by the words of your mouth, the sayings of your lips have overcome you.

³ Do this, my son, and make yourself free, because you have come into the power of your neighbour; go without waiting, and make a strong request to your neighbour.

⁴ Give no sleep to your eyes, or rest to them;

⁵ Make yourself free, like the roe from the hand of the archer, and the bird from him who puts a net for her.

⁶ Go to the ant, you hater of work; give thought to her ways and be wise:

⁷ Having no chief, overseer, or ruler,

⁸ She gets her meat in the summer, storing up food at the time of the grain-cutting.

⁹ How long will you be sleeping, O hater of work? when will you get up from your sleep?

¹⁰ A little sleep, a little rest, a little folding of the hands in sleep:

¹¹ Then loss will come on you like an outlaw, and your need like an armed man

¹² A good-for-nothing man is an evil-doer; he goes on his way causing trouble with false words;

¹³ Making signs with his eyes, rubbing with his feet, and giving news with his fingers;

¹⁴ His mind is ever designing evil: he lets loose violent acts.

¹⁵ For this cause his downfall will be sudden; quickly he will be broken, and there will be no help for him.

¹⁶ Six things are hated by the Lord; seven things are disgusting to him:

¹⁷ Eyes of pride, a false tongue, hands which take life without cause;

¹⁸ A heart full of evil designs, feet which are quick in running after sin;

¹⁹ A false witness, breathing out untrue words, and one who lets loose violent acts among brothers.

²⁰ My son, keep the rule of your father, and have in memory the teaching of your mother:

²¹ Keep them ever folded in your heart, and have them hanging round your neck.

²² In your walking, it will be your guide; when you are sleeping, it will keep watch over you; when you are awake, it will have talk with you.

²³ For the rule is a light, and the teaching a shining light; and the guiding words of training are the way of life.

²⁴ They will keep you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the strange woman.

²⁵ Let not your heart’s desire go after her fair body; let not her eyes take you prisoner.

²⁶ For a loose woman is looking for a cake of bread, but another man’s wife goes after one’s very life.

²⁷ May a man take fire to his breast without burning his clothing?

²⁸ Or may one go on lighted coals, and his feet not be burned?

²⁹ So it is with him who goes in to his neighbour’s wife; he who has anything to do with her will not go free from punishment.

³⁰ Men do not have a low opinion of a thief who takes food when he is in need of it:

³¹ But if he is taken in the act he will have to give back seven times as much, giving up all his property which is in his house.

³² He who takes another man’s wife is without all sense: he who does it is the cause of destruction to his soul.

³³ Wounds will be his and loss of honour, and his shame may not be washed away.

³⁴ For bitter is the wrath of an angry husband; in the day of punishment he will have no mercy.

³⁵ He will not take any payment; and he will not make peace with you though your money offerings are increased.