Proverbs 6
New King James Version
Dangerous Promises
6 My son, (A)if you become [a]surety for your friend,
If you have [b]shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,
2 You are snared by the words of your mouth;
You are taken by the words of your mouth.
3 So do this, my son, and deliver yourself;
For you have come into the hand of your friend:
Go and humble yourself;
Plead with your friend.
4 (B)Give no sleep to your eyes,
Nor slumber to your eyelids.
5 Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
And like a bird from the hand of the [c]fowler.
The Folly of Indolence
6 (C)Go to the ant, you sluggard!
Consider her ways and be wise,
7 Which, having no [d]captain,
Overseer or ruler,
8 Provides her [e]supplies in the summer,
And gathers her food in the harvest.
9 (D)How long will you [f]slumber, O sluggard?
When will you rise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep—
11 (E)So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,
And your need like an armed man.
The Wicked Man
12 A worthless person, a wicked man,
Walks with a perverse mouth;
13 (F)He winks with his eyes,
He [g]shuffles his feet,
He points with his fingers;
14 Perversity is in his heart,
(G)He devises evil continually,
(H)He sows discord.
15 Therefore his calamity shall come (I)suddenly;
Suddenly he shall (J)be broken (K)without remedy.
16 These six things the Lord hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to [h]Him:
17 (L)A[i] proud look,
(M)A lying tongue,
(N)Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 (O)A heart that devises wicked plans,
(P)Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 (Q)A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who (R)sows discord among brethren.
Beware of Adultery
20 (S)My son, keep your father’s command,
And do not forsake the law of your mother.
21 (T)Bind them continually upon your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
22 (U)When you roam, [j]they will lead you;
When you sleep, (V)they will keep you;
And when you awake, they will speak with you.
23 (W)For the commandment is a lamp,
And the law a light;
Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,
24 (X)To keep you from the evil woman,
From the flattering tongue of a seductress.
25 (Y)Do not lust after her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her allure you with her eyelids.
26 For (Z)by means of a harlot
A man is reduced to a crust of bread;
(AA)And [k]an adulteress will (AB)prey upon his precious life.
27 Can a man take fire to his bosom,
And his clothes not be burned?
28 Can one walk on hot coals,
And his feet not be seared?
29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her shall not be innocent.
30 People do not despise a thief
If he steals to satisfy himself when he is starving.
31 Yet when he is found, (AC)he must restore sevenfold;
He may have to give up all the substance of his house.
32 Whoever commits adultery with a woman (AD)lacks understanding;
He who does so destroys his own soul.
33 Wounds and dishonor he will get,
And his reproach will not be wiped away.
34 For (AE)jealousy is a husband’s fury;
Therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35 He will [l]accept no recompense,
Nor will he be appeased though you give many gifts.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 6:1 guaranty or collateral
- Proverbs 6:1 Lit. struck
- Proverbs 6:5 One who catches birds in a trap or snare
- Proverbs 6:7 Lit. leader
- Proverbs 6:8 Lit. bread
- Proverbs 6:9 Lit. lie down
- Proverbs 6:13 gives signals, lit. scrapes
- Proverbs 6:16 Lit. His soul
- Proverbs 6:17 Lit. Haughty eyes
- 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
Proverbs 6
Lexham English Bible
Against Pledges
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.
Against Sloth
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.
Against Worthlessness
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]
What Yahweh Hates
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.
Commandment and Instruction as Guardians
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.
Warning Against Relations with a Married Woman
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.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 6:1 Literally “palms of your hands”
- Proverbs 6:3 Literally “the palm of the hand of your neighbor”
- Proverbs 6:11 Literally “one who walks,” that is, a vagabond
- Proverbs 6:12 Literally “crookedness of mouth”
- Proverbs 6:14 Or “quarrels”
- Proverbs 6:15 Literally “thus”
- Proverbs 6:15 Or “repair”
- Proverbs 6:16 Or “inner self”
- Proverbs 6:18 Hebrew “the evil”
- Proverbs 6:19 Or “quarrels”
- Proverbs 6:22 Literally “In your walking”
- Proverbs 6:22 That is, “commandment” and “instruction”
- Proverbs 6:22 Literally “In your lying down”
- Proverbs 6:23 Hebrew “lives”
- Proverbs 6:24 Or “wife”
- Proverbs 6:24 Literally “a foreign woman”
- Proverbs 6:26 Or “whore”
- Proverbs 6:26 Literally “the woman of a man”
- Proverbs 6:30 Or “soul,” or “inner self”
- Proverbs 6:32 Literally “heart”
- Proverbs 6:32 Or “his soul,” or “his life”
- Proverbs 6:35 Literally “the face of any compensation”
Proverbs 6
New International Version
Warnings Against Folly
6 My son,(A) if you have put up security(B) for your neighbor,(C)
if you have shaken hands in pledge(D) for a stranger,
2 you have been trapped by what you said,
ensnared by the words of your mouth.
3 So do this, my son, to free yourself,
since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands:
Go—to the point of exhaustion—[a]
and give your neighbor no rest!
4 Allow no sleep to your eyes,
no slumber to your eyelids.(E)
5 Free yourself, like a gazelle(F) from the hand of the hunter,(G)
like a bird from the snare of the fowler.(H)
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard;(I)
consider its ways and be wise!
7 It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
8 yet it stores its provisions in summer(J)
and gathers its food at harvest.(K)
9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard?(L)
When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest(M)—
11 and poverty(N) will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man.
12 A troublemaker and a villain,
who goes about with a corrupt mouth,
13 who winks maliciously with his eye,(O)
signals with his feet
and motions with his fingers,(P)
14 who plots evil(Q) with deceit in his heart—
he always stirs up conflict.(R)
15 Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant;(S)
he will suddenly(T) be destroyed—without remedy.(U)
16 There are six things the Lord hates,(V)
seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes,(W)
a lying tongue,(X)
hands that shed innocent blood,(Y)
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,(Z)
19 a false witness(AA) who pours out lies(AB)
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.(AC)
Warning Against Adultery
20 My son,(AD) keep your father’s command
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.(AE)
21 Bind them always on your heart;
fasten them around your neck.(AF)
22 When you walk, they will guide you;
when you sleep, they will watch over you;
when you awake, they will speak to you.
23 For this command is a lamp,
this teaching is a light,(AG)
and correction and instruction
are the way to life,(AH)
24 keeping you from your neighbor’s wife,
from the smooth talk of a wayward woman.(AI)
25 Do not lust in your heart after her beauty
or let her captivate you with her eyes.
26 For a prostitute can be had for a loaf of bread,
but another man’s wife preys on your very life.(AJ)
27 Can a man scoop fire into his lap
without his clothes being burned?
28 Can a man walk on hot coals
without his feet being scorched?
29 So is he who sleeps(AK) with another man’s wife;(AL)
no one who touches her will go unpunished.
30 People do not despise a thief if he steals
to satisfy his hunger when he is starving.
31 Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold,(AM)
though it costs him all the wealth of his house.
32 But a man who commits adultery(AN) has no sense;(AO)
whoever does so destroys himself.
33 Blows and disgrace are his lot,
and his shame will never(AP) be wiped away.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 6:3 Or Go and humble yourself,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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