日常警言

孩子啊,你若为邻人作保,
    为外人击掌立约;
你若被自己口中的话套住,
    被自己的诺言缠住,
孩子啊,你已落入邻人的手中,
    你当如此自救:
    要谦卑地向他求情。
勿让你的眼睛睡觉,
    莫叫你的眼皮打盹。
要救自己脱离困境,
    像羚羊挣脱猎人的手,
    飞鸟逃脱捕鸟人的手。

懒惰的人啊,去看看蚂蚁,
    观察它的生活,就会有智慧。
蚂蚁没有元帅,
    没有官长,
    也没有君王,
却在夏季储备粮食,
    在收割时积聚食物。
懒惰的人啊,你要躺到何时?
    要睡到何时才起床?
10 再睡一会儿,再打个盹儿,
    抱着手躺一会儿,
11 贫穷要像盗贼一样攻击你,
    缺乏要像武士一样扑向你。

12 无赖与恶人满口诡诈,
13 挤眉弄眼,手脚示意,
14 心术不正,设下诡计,惹事生非。
15 因此,灾难必突然临到,
    他们顷刻之间遭到毁灭,
    无可挽救。
16 耶和华所憎恶的事有六样,
连祂厌恶的事共有七样:
17 高傲的眼睛,
    撒谎的舌头,
    杀害无辜的手,
18 图谋诡计的心,
    奔跑作恶的脚,
19 撒谎的假证人和在弟兄中挑起争端的人。

20 孩子啊,要遵守你父亲的诫命,
    不可背弃你母亲的训言。
21 你要常常将这些刻在心坎上,
    系在颈项上。
22 你行走,它们必引领你;
    你躺卧,它们必护卫你;
    你醒来,它们必与你交谈。
23 因为诫命是灯,训言是光,
    管教责备是生命之道,
24 能使你远离邪恶的女人,
    避开油嘴滑舌的妓女。
25 你的心不要贪恋她的美色,
    也不要被她的媚眼所迷惑,
26 因为娼妓会使人倾家荡产[a]
    淫妇会猎杀人宝贵的生命。
27 人若将火藏在怀中,
    哪能不烧着衣服呢?
28 人若行走在火炭上,
    哪能不烫伤双脚呢?
29 与别人妻子通奸也是这样,
    凡靠近她的必难逃罪责。
30 贼因充饥而偷,
    没有人藐视他;
31 但若被抓到,他要偿还七倍,
    就是倾家荡产也要偿还。
32 和有夫之妇通奸的,
    实在愚不可及,
    他是自寻死路。
33 他必挨打,受辱,
    他的耻辱永难抹去。
34 那丈夫妒火燃烧,
    报仇时绝不留情。
35 赔他再多财物,他也不会接受;
    送他再多礼物,他都不肯罢休。

Footnotes

  1. 6:26 娼妓会使人倾家荡产”或译“娼妓的淫资不过是一个饼”。

日常警言

孩子啊,你若為鄰人作保,
    為外人擊掌立約;
你若被自己口中的話套住,
    被自己的諾言纏住,
孩子啊,你已落入鄰人的手中,
    你當如此自救:
    要謙卑地向他求情。
勿讓你的眼睛睡覺,
    莫叫你的眼皮打盹。
要救自己脫離困境,
    像羚羊掙脫獵人的手,
    飛鳥逃脫捕鳥人的手。

懶惰的人啊,去看看螞蟻,
    觀察牠的生活,就會有智慧。
螞蟻沒有元帥,
    沒有官長,
    也沒有君王,
卻在夏季儲備糧食,
    在收割時積聚食物。
懶惰的人啊,你要躺到何時?
    要睡到何時才起床?
10 再睡一會兒,再打個盹兒,
    抱著手躺一會兒,
11 貧窮要像盜賊一樣攻擊你,
    缺乏要像武士一樣撲向你。

12 無賴與惡人滿口詭詐,
13 擠眉弄眼,手腳示意,
14 心術不正,設下詭計,惹事生非。
15 因此,災難必突然臨到,
    他們頃刻之間遭到毀滅,
    無可挽救。
16 耶和華所憎惡的事有六樣,
連祂厭惡的事共有七樣:
17 高傲的眼睛,
    撒謊的舌頭,
    殺害無辜的手,
18 圖謀詭計的心,
    奔跑作惡的腳,
19 撒謊的假證人和在弟兄中挑起爭端的人。

20 孩子啊,要遵守你父親的誡命,
    不可背棄你母親的訓言。
21 你要常常將這些刻在心坎上,
    繫在頸項上。
22 你行走,它們必引領你;
    你躺臥,它們必護衛你;
    你醒來,它們必與你交談。
23 因為誡命是燈,訓言是光,
    管教責備是生命之道,
24 能使你遠離邪惡的女人,
    避開油嘴滑舌的妓女。
25 你的心不要貪戀她的美色,
    也不要被她的媚眼所迷惑,
26 因為娼妓會使人傾家蕩產[a]
    淫婦會獵殺人寶貴的生命。
27 人若將火藏在懷中,
    哪能不燒著衣服呢?
28 人若行走在火炭上,
    哪能不燙傷雙腳呢?
29 與別人妻子通姦也是這樣,
    凡靠近她的必難逃罪責。
30 賊因充饑而偷,
    沒有人藐視他;
31 但若被抓到,他要償還七倍,
    就是傾家蕩產也要償還。
32 和有夫之婦通姦的,
    實在愚不可及,
    他是自尋死路。
33 他必挨打,受辱,
    他的恥辱永難抹去。
34 那丈夫妒火燃燒,
    報仇時絕不留情。
35 賠他再多財物,他也不會接受;
    送他再多禮物,他都不肯甘休。

Footnotes

  1. 6·26 娼妓會使人傾家蕩產」或譯「娼妓的淫資不過是一個餅」。

Financial Entanglements

My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor[a]
or entered into an agreement with[b] a stranger,[c](A)
you have been trapped by the words of your lips[d]
ensnared by the words of your mouth.
Do this, then, my son, and free yourself,
for you have put yourself in your neighbor’s power:
Go, humble yourself, and plead with your neighbor.
Don’t give sleep to your eyes
or slumber to your eyelids.(B)
Escape like a gazelle from a hunter,[e]
like a bird from a fowler’s trap.[f](C)

Laziness

Go to the ant,(D) you slacker!(E)
Observe its ways and become wise.
Without leader, administrator, or ruler,
it prepares its provisions in summer;
it gathers its food during harvest.(F)
How long will you stay in bed, you slacker?
When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the arms to rest,(G)
11 and your poverty will come like a robber,
your need, like a bandit.(H)

The Malicious Man

12 A worthless person,(I) a wicked man
goes around speaking dishonestly,(J)
13 winking(K) his eyes, signaling with his feet,
and gesturing with his fingers.
14 He always plots evil(L) with perversity in his heart—
he stirs up trouble.(M)
15 Therefore calamity will strike him suddenly;
he will be shattered instantly—beyond recovery.(N)

What the Lord Hates

16 The Lord hates six things;
in fact, seven are detestable to Him:
17 arrogant eyes,(O) a lying tongue,(P)
hands that shed innocent blood,(Q)
18 a heart that plots wicked schemes,(R)
feet eager to run to evil,(S)
19 a lying witness who gives false testimony,(T)
and one who stirs up trouble among brothers.(U)

Warning against Adultery

20 My son, keep your father’s command,
and don’t reject your mother’s teaching.(V)
21 Always bind them to your heart;
tie them around your neck.(W)
22 When you walk here and there, they will guide you;
when you lie down, they will watch over you;
when you wake up, they will talk to you.
23 For a command is a lamp, teaching is a light,(X)
and corrective discipline is the way to life.(Y)
24 They will protect you from an evil woman,[g]
from the flattering[h] tongue of a stranger.(Z)
25 Don’t lust in your heart for her beauty(AA)
or let her captivate you with her eyelashes.(AB)
26 For a prostitute’s fee is only a loaf of bread,[i]
but an adulteress[j] goes after a precious life.(AC)
27 Can a man embrace fire[k]
and his clothes not be burned?
28 Can a man walk on burning coals
without scorching his feet?
29 So it is with the one who sleeps with
another man’s wife;
no one who touches her will go unpunished.(AD)
30 People don’t despise the thief if he steals
to satisfy himself when he is hungry.(AE)
31 Still, if caught, he must pay seven times as much;(AF)
he must give up all the wealth in his house.
32 The one who commits adultery[l] lacks sense;
whoever does so destroys himself.(AG)
33 He will get a beating[m] and dishonor,
and his disgrace will never be removed.
34 For jealousy enrages a husband,(AH)
and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.
35 He will not be appeased by anything
or be persuaded by lavish gifts.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 6:1 Or friend
  2. Proverbs 6:1 Lit or shaken hands for or with
  3. Proverbs 6:1 The Hb word for stranger can refer to a foreigner, an Israelite outside one’s family, or simply to another person.
  4. Proverbs 6:2 Lit mouth
  5. Proverbs 6:5 Lit hand
  6. Proverbs 6:5 Lit hand
  7. Proverbs 6:24 LXX reads from a married woman
  8. Proverbs 6:24 Lit smooth
  9. Proverbs 6:26 Or On account of a prostitute, [one is left with] only a loaf of bread
  10. Proverbs 6:26 Lit but a wife of a man
  11. Proverbs 6:27 Lit man take fire to his bosom
  12. Proverbs 6:32 Lit commits adultery with a woman
  13. Proverbs 6:33 Or plague