Proverbs 6:20-35

New King James Version

Beware of Adultery

²⁰^(A)My son, keep your father’s command,
And do not forsake the law of your mother.
²¹^(B)Bind them continually upon your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
²²^(C)When you roam, ^[a]they will lead you;
When you sleep, ^(D)they will keep you;
And when you awake, they will speak with you.
²³^(E)For the commandment is a lamp,
And the law a light;
Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,
²⁴^(F)To keep you from the evil woman,
From the flattering tongue of a seductress.
²⁵^(G)Do not lust after her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her allure you with her eyelids.
²⁶For ^(H)by means of a harlot
A man is reduced to a crust of bread;
^(I)And ^[b]an adulteress will ^(J)prey 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, ^(K)he must restore sevenfold;
He may have to give up all the substance of his house.
³²Whoever commits adultery with a woman ^(L)lacks understanding;
He who does so destroys his own soul.
³³Wounds and dishonor he will get,
And his reproach will not be wiped away.
³⁴For ^(M)jealousy is a husband’s fury;
Therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
³⁵He will ^[c]accept no recompense,
Nor will he be appeased though you give many gifts.

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Footnotes

Proverbs 6:22 Lit. it
Proverbs 6:26 Wife of another, lit. a man’s wife
Proverbs 6:35 Lit. lift up the face of any

משלי 6:20-35

The Westminster Leningrad Codex

²⁰נְצֹ֣ר בְּ֭נִי מִצְוַ֣ת אָבִ֑יךָ וְאַל־תִּ֝טֹּ֗שׁ תּוֹרַ֥ת אִמֶּֽךָ׃

²¹קָשְׁרֵ֣ם עַל־לִבְּךָ֣ תָמִ֑יד עָ֝נְדֵ֗ם עַל־גַּרְגְּרֹתֶֽךָ׃

²²בְּהִתְהַלֶּכְךָ֨׀ תַּנְחֶ֬ה אֹתָ֗ךְ בְּֽ֭שָׁכְבְּךָ תִּשְׁמֹ֣ר עָלֶ֑יךָ וַ֝הֲקִיצ֗וֹתָ הִ֣יא תְשִׂיחֶֽךָ׃

²³כִּ֤י נֵ֣ר מִ֭צְוָה וְת֣וֹרָה א֑וֹר וְדֶ֥רֶךְ חַ֝יִּ֗ים תּוֹכְח֥וֹת מוּסָֽר׃

²⁴לִ֭שְׁמָרְךָ מֵאֵ֣שֶׁת רָ֑ע מֵֽ֝חֶלְקַ֗ת לָשׁ֥וֹן נָכְרִיָּֽה׃

²⁵אַל־תַּחְמֹ֣ד יָ֭פְיָהּ בִּלְבָבֶ֑ךָ וְאַל־תִּ֝קָּֽחֲךָ֗ בְּעַפְעַפֶּֽיהָ׃

²⁶כִּ֤י בְעַד־אִשָּׁ֥ה זוֹנָ֗ה עַֽד־כִּכַּ֫ר לָ֥חֶם וְאֵ֥שֶׁת אִ֑ישׁ נֶ֖פֶשׁ יְקָרָ֣ה תָצֽוּד׃ פ

²⁷הֲיַחְתֶּ֤ה אִ֓ישׁ אֵ֬שׁ בְּחֵיק֑וֹ וּ֝בְגָדָ֗יו לֹ֣א תִשָּׂרַֽפְנָה׃

²⁸אִם־יְהַלֵּ֣ךְ אִ֭ישׁ עַל־הַגֶּחָלִ֑ים וְ֝רַגְלָ֗יו לֹ֣א תִכָּוֶֽינָה׃

²⁹כֵּ֗ן הַ֭בָּא אֶל־אֵ֣שֶׁת רֵעֵ֑הוּ לֹ֥א יִ֝נָּקֶ֗ה כָּֽל־הַנֹּגֵ֥עַ בָּֽהּ׃

³⁰לֹא־יָב֣וּזוּ לַ֭גַּנָּב כִּ֣י יִגְנ֑וֹב לְמַלֵּ֥א נַ֝פְשׁ֗וֹ כִּ֣י יִרְעָֽב׃

³¹וְ֭נִמְצָא יְשַׁלֵּ֣ם שִׁבְעָתָ֑יִם אֶת־כָּל־ה֖וֹן בֵּית֣וֹ יִתֵּֽן׃

³²נֹאֵ֣ף אִשָּׁ֣ה חֲסַר־לֵ֑ב מַֽשְׁחִ֥ית נַ֝פְשׁ֗וֹ ה֣וּא יַעֲשֶֽׂנָּה׃

³³נֶֽגַע־וְקָל֥וֹן יִמְצָ֑א וְ֝חֶרְפָּת֗וֹ לֹ֣א תִמָּחֶֽה׃

³⁴כִּֽי־קִנְאָ֥ה חֲמַת־גָּ֑בֶר וְלֹֽא־יַ֝חְמ֗וֹל בְּי֣וֹם נָקָֽם׃

³⁵לֹא־יִ֭שָּׂא פְּנֵ֣י כָל־כֹּ֑פֶר וְלֹֽא־יֹ֝אבֶ֗ה כִּ֣י תַרְבֶּה־שֹֽׁחַד׃ פ

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Proverbs 6:20-35

Young's Literal Translation

²⁰Keep, my son, the command of thy father, And leave not the law of thy mother.

²¹Bind them on thy heart continually, Tie them on thy neck.

²²In thy going up and down, it leadeth thee, In thy lying down, it watcheth over thee, And thou hast awaked -- it talketh [with] thee.

²³For a lamp [is] the command, And the law a light, And a way of life [are] reproofs of instruction,

²⁴To preserve thee from an evil woman, From the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.

²⁵Desire not her beauty in thy heart, And let her not take thee with her eyelids.

²⁶For a harlot consumeth unto a cake of bread, And an adulteress the precious soul hunteth.

²⁷Doth a man take fire into his bosom, And are his garments not burnt?

²⁸Doth a man walk on the hot coals, And are his feet not scorched?

²⁹So [is] he who hath gone in unto the wife of his neighbour, None who doth touch her is innocent.

³⁰They do not despise the thief, When he stealeth to fill his soul when he is hungry,

³¹And being found he repayeth sevenfold, All the substance of his house he giveth.

³²He who committeth adultery [with] a woman lacketh heart, He is destroying his soul who doth it.

³³A stroke and shame he doth find, And his reproach is not wiped away,

³⁴For jealousy [is] the fury of a man, And he doth not spare in a day of vengeance.

³⁵He accepteth not the appearance of any atonement, Yea, he doth not consent, Though thou dost multiply bribes!

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Proverbs 6:20-35

New American Standard Bible

²⁰^(A)My son, comply with the commandment of your father,
And do not ignore the ^[a]teaching of your mother;
²¹^(B)Bind them continually on your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
²²When you ^(C)walk, ^[b]they will guide you;
When you sleep, ^[c]they will watch over you;
And when you awake, ^[d]they will talk to you.
²³For ^(D)the commandment is a lamp and the ^[e]teaching is light;
And rebukes for discipline are the way of life
²⁴To ^(E)keep you from the evil woman,
From the smooth tongue of the foreign woman.
²⁵^(F)Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her capture you with her ^(G)eyelids.
²⁶For ^(H)the price of a prostitute reduces one to a loaf of bread,
And ^[f]an adulteress ^(I)hunts for a precious life.
²⁷Can anyone take fire in his lap
And his clothes not be burned?
²⁸Or can a person walk on hot coals
And his feet not be scorched?
²⁹So is the one who ^(J)goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her ^(K)will not ^[g]go unpunished.
³⁰People do not despise a thief if he steals
To ^(L)satisfy ^[h]himself when he is hungry;
³¹But when he is found, he must ^(M)repay seven times as much;
He must give up all the property of his house.
³²One who commits adultery with a woman is ^(N)lacking ^[i]sense;
He who would ^(O)destroy ^[j]himself commits it.
³³He will find wounds and disgrace,
And his shame will not be removed.
³⁴For ^(P)jealousy ^[k]enrages a man,
And he will not have compassion on the ^(Q)day of vengeance.
³⁵He will not ^[l]accept any settlement,
Nor will he be ^[m]satisfied though you make it a large gift.