Proverbs 6  Lexham English Bible

6 My child, if you have pledged to your neighbor,
    if you have bound yourself^[a] to the stranger,
² if you are snared by the sayings of your mouth,
    if you are caught by the sayings of your mouth,
³ do this, then, my child, and save yourself,
    for you have come into the palm of your neighbor’s hand:^[b]
    Go, humble yourself, plead with your neighbor.
⁴ Do not give sleep to your eyes,
    or slumber to your eyelids.
⁵ Save yourself like a gazelle from a hand,
    or like a bird from the hand of a fowler.

⁶ Go to the ant, lazy!
    Consider its ways and be wise.
⁷ It has no chief,
    officer, or ruler.
⁸ In the summer, it prepares its food;
    in the harvest, it gathers its sustenance.
⁹ How long will you lie down, lazy?
    When will you rise up from your sleep?
¹⁰ A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands for rest—
¹¹ like a robber^[c] shall your poverty come,
    and what you lack like an armed man.

¹² A worthless man, an evil man,
    goes around with deceitful speech.^[d]
13 Winking in his eye, shuffling in his foot,
    pointing in his fingers,
¹⁴ perversion in his heart, he devises evil;
    at all times he will send out discord.^[e]
15 Upon such a man,^[f] suddenly shall his calamity come;
    in a moment he will be damaged and there is no healing.^[g]

¹⁶ There are six things Yahweh hates,
    and seven things are abominations of his soul:^[h]
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
    and hands that shed innocent blood,
¹⁸ a devising heart, plans of deception,
    feet that hurry to run to evil,^[i]
19 a false witness who breathes lies
    and sends out discord^[j] between brothers.

²⁰ My child, keep the commandment of your father,
    and do not disregard the instruction of your mother.
²¹ Bind them on your heart continually;
    tie them upon your neck.
²² When you walk,^[k] she^[l] will lead you,
    When you lie down,^[m] she will watch over you,
    and when you awake, she will converse with you.
²³ For like a lamp is a commandment, and instruction is light,
    and the way of life^[n] is the reproof of discipline,
²⁴ in order to preserve you from an evil woman,^[o]
    from the smoothness of the tongue of an adulteress.^[p]
25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart;
    may she not capture you with her eyelashes.
²⁶ For the price of a woman, a prostitute,^[q] is the price of a loaf of bread,
    but the woman belonging to a man^[r] hunts precious life.

²⁷ Can a man carry fire in his lap,
    and his clothes not burn?
²⁸ If a man walks upon the hot coals,
    will his feet not be burned?
²⁹ Thus, he who goes to the wife of his neighbor,
    any who touches her shall not go unpunished.
³⁰ People do not despise a thief when he steals
    to fill himself^[s] when he is hungry.
³¹ But if he is found, he will pay sevenfold,
    every possession of his house he shall give.
³² He who commits adultery with a woman lacks sense,^[t]
    he destroys himself^[u] who does it.
³³ A wound and dishonor he will find,
    and his disgrace will not be wiped out.
³⁴ For jealousy is the fury of a husband,
    and he will not show restraint on the day of revenge.
³⁵ He will not accept any compensation,^[v]
    and he will not be willing, though the bribe is large.