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.
²² When 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.
²³ For ^(D)the commandment is a lamp and the ^[e]teaching is light;
And rebukes for discipline are the way of life
²⁴ To ^(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.
²⁶ For ^(H)the price of a prostitute reduces one to a loaf of bread,
And ^[f]an adulteress ^(I)hunts for a precious life.
²⁷ Can anyone take fire in his lap
And his clothes not be burned?
²⁸ Or can a person walk on hot coals
And his feet not be scorched?
²⁹ So is the one who ^(J)goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her ^(K)will not ^[g]go unpunished.
³⁰ People do not despise a thief if he steals
To ^(L)satisfy ^[h]himself when he is hungry;
³¹ But when he is found, he must ^(M)repay seven times as much;
He must give up all the property of his house.
³² One who commits adultery with a woman is ^(N)lacking ^[i]sense;
He who would ^(O)destroy ^[j]himself commits it.
³³ He will find wounds and disgrace,
And his shame will not be removed.
³⁴ For ^(P)jealousy ^[k]enrages a man,
And he will not have compassion on the ^(Q)day of vengeance.
³⁵ He will not ^[l]accept any settlement,
Nor will he be ^[m]satisfied though you make it a large gift.