Proverbs 6:6-35

New American Standard Bible

⁶ Go to the ^(A)ant, you ^[a](B)lazy one,
Observe its ways and be wise,
⁷ Which, having ^(C)no chief,
Officer, or ruler,
⁸ Prepares its food ^(D)in the summer
And gathers its provision in the harvest.
⁹ How long will you lie down, you ^[b]lazy one?
When will you arise from your sleep?
¹⁰ “^(E)A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to ^[c]rest,”
^11 (F)Then your poverty will come in like a ^[d]drifter,
And your need like ^[e]an armed man.

¹² A ^(G)worthless person, a wicked man,
Is one who walks with a ^(H)perverse mouth,
¹³ Who ^(I)winks with his eyes, who ^[f]signals with his feet,
Who ^[g]points with his fingers;
¹⁴ Who, with ^(J)perversion in his heart, continually ^(K)devises evil,
Who ^[h](L)spreads strife.
¹⁵ Therefore ^(M)his disaster will come suddenly;
^(N)Instantly he will be broken and there will be ^(O)no healing.

¹⁶ There are six things that the Lord hates,
Seven that are an abomination ^[i]to Him:
^17 (P)Haughty eyes, a ^(Q)lying tongue,
And hands that ^(R)shed innocent blood,
¹⁸ A heart that devises ^(S)wicked plans,
^(T)Feet that run rapidly to evil,
¹⁹ A ^(U)false witness who declares lies,
And one who ^[j](V)spreads strife among brothers.

^20 (W)My son, comply with the commandment of your father,
And do not ignore the ^[k]teaching of your mother;
^21 (X)Bind them continually on your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
²² When you ^(Y)walk, ^[l]they will guide you;
When you sleep, ^[m]they will watch over you;
And when you awake, ^[n]they will talk to you.
²³ For ^(Z)the commandment is a lamp and the ^[o]teaching is light;
And rebukes for discipline are the way of life
²⁴ To ^(AA)keep you from the evil woman,
From the smooth tongue of the foreign woman.
^25 (AB)Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her capture you with her ^(AC)eyelids.
²⁶ For ^(AD)the price of a prostitute reduces one to a loaf of bread,
And ^[p]an adulteress ^(AE)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 ^(AF)goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her ^(AG)will not ^[q]go unpunished.
³⁰ People do not despise a thief if he steals
To ^(AH)satisfy ^[r]himself when he is hungry;
³¹ But when he is found, he must ^(AI)repay seven times as much;
He must give up all the property of his house.
³² One who commits adultery with a woman is ^(AJ)lacking ^[s]sense;
He who would ^(AK)destroy ^[t]himself commits it.
³³ He will find wounds and disgrace,
And his shame will not be removed.
³⁴ For ^(AL)jealousy ^[u]enrages a man,
And he will not have compassion on the ^(AM)day of vengeance.
³⁵ He will not ^[v]accept any settlement,
Nor will he be ^[w]satisfied though you make it a large gift.