Proverbs 6
Christian Standard Bible
Financial Entanglements
6 My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor[a]
or entered into an agreement with[b] a stranger,(A)
2 you have been snared by the words of your mouth—
trapped by the words from your mouth.
3 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.
4 Don’t give sleep to your eyes
or slumber to your eyelids.(B)
5 Escape like a gazelle from a hunter,[c]
like a bird from a hunter’s trap.[d](C)
Laziness
6 Go to the ant,(D) you slacker!(E)
Observe its ways and become wise.
7 Without leader, administrator, or ruler,
8 it prepares its provisions in summer;
it gathers its food during harvest.(F)
9 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,
11 and your poverty will come like a robber,
your need, like a bandit.(G)
The Malicious Man
12 A worthless person,(H) a wicked man
goes around speaking dishonestly,(I)
13 winking(J) his eyes, signaling with his feet,
and gesturing with his fingers.
14 He always plots evil(K) with perversity in his heart;
he stirs up trouble.(L)
15 Therefore calamity will strike him suddenly;
he will be shattered instantly, beyond recovery.(M)
What the Lord Hates
16 The Lord hates six things;
in fact, seven are detestable to him:
17 arrogant eyes,(N) a lying tongue,(O)
hands that shed innocent blood,(P)
18 a heart that plots wicked schemes,(Q)
feet eager to run to evil,(R)
19 a lying witness who gives false testimony,(S)
and one who stirs up trouble among brothers.(T)
Warning against Adultery
20 My son, keep your father’s command,
and don’t reject your mother’s teaching.(U)
21 Always bind them to your heart;
tie them around your neck.(V)
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,(W)
and corrective discipline is the way to life.(X)
24 They will protect you from an evil woman,[e]
from the flattering tongue of a wayward woman.(Y)
25 Don’t lust in your heart for her beauty(Z)
or let her captivate you with her eyelashes.(AA)
26 For a prostitute’s fee is only a loaf of bread,[f]
but the wife of another man[g] goes after a precious life.(AB)
27 Can a man embrace fire
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.(AC)
30 People don’t despise the thief if he steals
to satisfy himself when he is hungry.(AD)
31 Still, if caught, he must pay seven times as much;(AE)
he must give up all the wealth in his house.
32 The one who commits adultery[h] lacks sense;
whoever does so destroys himself.(AF)
33 He will get a beating[i] and dishonor,
and his disgrace will never be removed.
34 For jealousy enrages a husband,(AG)
and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.
35 He will not be appeased by anything
or be persuaded by lavish bribes.
Proverbs 6
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Practical Admonitions
6 My child, if you have given your pledge to your neighbor,
if you have bound yourself to another,[a](A)
2 you are snared by the utterance of your lips,[b]
caught by the words of your mouth.
3 So do this, my child, and save yourself,
for you have come into your neighbor’s power:
go, hurry,[c] and plead with your neighbor.
4 Give your eyes no sleep
and your eyelids no slumber;(B)
5 save yourself like a gazelle from the hunter,[d]
like a bird from the hand of the fowler.(C)
6 Go to the ant, you lazybones;
consider its ways and be wise.(D)
7 Without having any chief
or officer or ruler,
8 it prepares its food in summer
and gathers its sustenance in harvest.(E)
9 How long will you lie there, O lazybones?
When will you rise from your sleep?(F)
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want, like an armed warrior.(G)
12 A scoundrel and a villain
goes around with crooked speech,(H)
13 winking the eyes, shuffling the feet,
pointing the fingers,(I)
14 with perverted mind devising evil,
continually sowing discord;(J)
15 on such a one calamity will descend suddenly,
in a moment, damage beyond repair.(K)
16 There are six things that the Lord hates,
seven that are an abomination to him:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,(L)
18 a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that hurry to run to evil,(M)
19 a lying witness who testifies falsely,
and one who sows discord in a family.(N)
20 My child, keep your father’s commandment,
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.(O)
21 Bind them upon your heart always;
tie them around your neck.(P)
22 When you walk, they[e] will lead you;
when you lie down, they[f] will watch over you;
and when you awake, they[g] will talk with you.(Q)
23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,
and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,(R)
24 to preserve you from the wife of another,[h]
from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.[i](S)
25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes,(T)
26 for a prostitute’s fee is only a loaf of bread,[j]
but the wife of another stalks a man’s precious life.(U)
27 Can fire be carried in the bosom
without burning one’s clothes?
28 Or can one walk on hot coals
without scorching the feet?
29 So is he who sleeps with his neighbor’s wife;
no one who touches her will go unpunished.(V)
30 Thieves are not despised who steal only
to satisfy their appetite when they are hungry.
31 Yet if they are caught, they will pay sevenfold;
they will forfeit all the goods of their house.(W)
32 But he who commits adultery has no sense;
he who does it destroys himself.(X)
33 He will get wounds and dishonor,
and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy arouses a husband’s fury,
and he will show no restraint when he takes revenge.(Y)
35 He will accept no compensation
and will refuse a bribe no matter how great.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.