Proverbes 6

¹ My son, if thou art become surety for thy neighbor, If thou hast stricken thy hands for a stranger ;

² Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, Thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.

³ Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, Seeing thou art come into the hand of thy neighbor : Go, humble thyself, and importune thy neighbor ;

⁴ Give not sleep to thine eyes, Nor slumber to thine eyelids ;

⁵ Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, And as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

⁶ Go to the ant, thou sluggard ; Consider her ways, and be wise :

⁷ Which having no chief, Overseer, or ruler,

⁸ Provideth her bread in the summer, And gathereth her food in the harvest.

⁹ How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard ? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep ?

¹⁰ Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep :

¹¹ So shall thy poverty come as a robber, And thy want as an armed man.

¹² A worthless person, a man of iniquity, Is he that walketh with a perverse mouth ;

¹³ That winketh with his eyes, that speaketh with his feet, That maketh signs with his fingers ;

¹⁴ In whose heart is perverseness, Who deviseth evil continually, Who soweth discord.

¹⁵ Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly ; On a sudden shall he be broken, and that without remedy.

¹⁶ There are six things which Jehovah hateth ; Yea, seven which are an abomination unto him :

¹⁷ Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood ;

¹⁸ A heart that deviseth wicked purposes, Feet that are swift in running to mischief,

¹⁹ A false witness that uttereth lies, And he that soweth discord among brethren.

²⁰ My son, keep the commandment of thy father, And forsake not the law of thy mother :

²¹ Bind them continually upon thy heart ; Tie them about thy neck.

²² When thou walkest, it shall lead thee ; When thou sleepest, it shall watch over thee ; And when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.

²³ For the commandment is a lamp ; and the law is light ; And reproofs of instruction are the way of life :

²⁴ To keep thee from the evil woman, From the flattery of the foreigner’s tongue.

²⁵ Lust not after her beauty in thy heart ; Neither let her take thee with her eyelids.

²⁶ For on account of a harlot a man is brought to a piece of bread ; And the adulteress hunteth for the precious life.

²⁷ Can a man take fire in his bosom, And his clothes not be burned ?

²⁸ Or can one walk upon hot coals, And his feet not be scorched ?

²⁹ So he that goeth in to his neighbor’s wife ; Whosoever toucheth her shall not be unpunished.

³⁰ Men do not despise a thief, if he steal To satisfy himself when he is hungry :

³¹ But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold ; He shall give all the substance of his house.

³² He that committeth adultery with a woman is void of understanding : He doeth it who would destroy his own soul.

³³ Wounds and dishonor shall he get ; And his reproach shall not be wiped away.

³⁴ For jealousy is the rage of a man ; And he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

³⁵ He will not regard any ransom ; Neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.