Proverbs 6

Leeser^{(i) 1} My son, If thou hast become surety for thy friend, if thou hast struck thy hand for a stranger; ² If thou art ensnared through the words of thy mouth, if thou art caught through the words of thy mouth: ³ Then do this by all means, my son, and deliver thyself, because thou art come into the power of thy friend, Go hasten to him, and urge thy friend. ⁴ Grant not any sleep to thy eyes, nor slumber to thy eyelids. ⁵ Deliver thyself as a roebuck from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler. ⁶ Go to the ant, thou sluggard; look on her ways, and become wise. ⁷ She, that hath no prince, officer, or ruler, ⁸ Provideth in the summer her provision, gathereth in harvest-time her food. ⁹ How long, O sluggard, wilt thou lie down? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? ¹⁰ “A little more sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands in lying down;” ¹¹ But then will thy poverty come like a rover, and thy want as a man armed with a shield. ¹² A Godless person is a man of injustice, who walketh with a distorted mouth. ¹³ He blinketh with his eyes, he scrapeth with his feet, he pointeth with his fingers; ¹⁴ Perverseness is in his heart, he contriveth evil at all times; he scattereth abroad discord. ¹⁵ Therefore shall suddenly come his calamity: unawares shalt he be broken without a remedy. ¹⁶ Six things there are which the Lord hateth; and seven are an abomination unto his spirit: ¹⁷ Haughty eyes, a tongue of falsehood, and hands that shed innocent blood, ¹⁸ A heart that contriveth plans of injustice, feet that hasten to run after evil, ¹⁹ A false witness that eagerly uttereth lies, and him that scattereth abroad discord among brethren. ²⁰ Keep, O my son, the commandment of thy father, and reject not the teaching of thy mother: ²¹ Bind them upon thy heart continually, tie them about thy throat. ²² When thou walkest, it shall lead thee; when thou liest down, it shall watch over thee; and when thou art awake, it shall converse with thee. ²³ For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light; and the way of life are the admonitions of correction: ²⁴ To guard thee against a bad woman, from the flattery of an alien tongue. ²⁵ Covet not her beauty in thy heart, and let her not conquer thee with her eyelids. ²⁶ For by means of a harlot one is brought down to the last loaf of bread: and an adulterous woman will even hunt for the precious life, ²⁷ Can a man gather up fire in his lap, and shall his clothes not be burnt? ²⁸ Can a man walk along upon hot coals, and shall his feet not be burnt? ²⁹ So it is with him that goeth in to his neighbor’s wife: no one that toucheth her shall remain unpunished. ³⁰ Men do not despise the thief, if he steal, to gratify his craving when he is hungry: ³¹ And if he be found, he must pay sevenfold; all the wealth his house must he give. ³² But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh sense: he that is the destroyer of his soul, will alone do this. ³³ Plague and disgrace will he meet with; and his reproach will not be blotted out. ³⁴ For jealousy is the fury of a husband, and he will not spare on the day of vengeance. ³⁵ He will not regard the appearance of any ransom; and he will not be content, though thou give ever so many bribes.