Proverbs 6
6
Warnings Against Folly
1My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor,
if you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,
2you have been trapped by what you said,
ensnared by the words of your mouth.
3So do this, my son, to free yourself,
since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands:
Go—to the point of exhaustion—#6:3 Or Go and humble yourself,
and give your neighbor no rest!
4Allow no sleep to your eyes,
no slumber to your eyelids.
5Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
like a bird from the snare of the fowler.
6Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!
7It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
8yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.
9How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
When will you get up from your sleep?
10A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest—
11and poverty will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man.
12A troublemaker and a villain,
who goes about with a corrupt mouth,
13who winks maliciously with his eye,
signals with his feet
and motions with his fingers,
14who plots evil with deceit in his heart—
he always stirs up conflict.
15Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant;
he will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.
16There are six things the Lord hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
17haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
18a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
Warning Against Adultery
20My son, keep your father’s command
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
21Bind them always on your heart;
fasten them around your neck.
22When you walk, they will guide you;
when you sleep, they will watch over you;
when you awake, they will speak to you.
23For this command is a lamp,
this teaching is a light,
and correction and instruction
are the way to life,
24keeping you from your neighbor’s wife,
from the smooth talk of a wayward woman.
25Do not lust in your heart after her beauty
or let her captivate you with her eyes.
26For a prostitute can be had for a loaf of bread,
but another man’s wife preys on your very life.
27Can a man scoop fire into his lap
without his clothes being burned?
28Can a man walk on hot coals
without his feet being scorched?
29So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife;
no one who touches her will go unpunished.
30People do not despise a thief if he steals
to satisfy his hunger when he is starving.
31Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold,
though it costs him all the wealth of his house.
32But a man who commits adultery has no sense;
whoever does so destroys himself.
33Blows and disgrace are his lot,
and his shame will never be wiped away.
34For jealousy arouses a husband’s fury,
and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.
35He will not accept any compensation;
he will refuse a bribe, however great it is.
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The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.
Proverbs 6
6
Dangers of Debt
1My son, don’t make yourself responsible for the debts of others. Don’t make such deals with friends or strangers. 2If you do, your words will trap you. 3You will be under the power of other people, so you must go and free yourself. Beg them to free you from that debt. 4Don’t wait to rest or sleep. 5Escape from that trap like a deer running from a hunter. Free yourself like a bird flying from a trap.
The Dangers of Being Lazy
6You lazy people, you should watch what the ants do and learn from them. 7Ants have no ruler, no boss, and no leader. 8But in the summer, ants gather all of their food and save it. So when winter comes, there is plenty to eat.
9You lazy people, how long are you going to lie there? When will you get up? 10You say, “I need a rest. I think I’ll take a short nap.” 11But then you sleep and sleep and become poorer and poorer. Soon you will have nothing. It will be as if a thief came and stole everything you owned.
Troublemakers
12Some people are just troublemakers. They are always thinking up some crooked plan and telling lies. 13They use secret signals to cheat people; they wink their eyes, shuffle their feet, and point a finger. 14They are always planning to do something bad. 15But they will be punished. Disaster will strike, and they will be destroyed. There will be no one to help them.
What the Lord Hates
16The Lord hates these seven things:
17eyes that show pride,
tongues that tell lies,
hands that kill innocent people,
18hearts that plan evil things to do,
feet that run to do evil,
19witnesses in court who tell lies,
and anyone who causes family members to fight.
Warning Against Adultery
20My son, remember your father’s command, and don’t forget your mother’s teaching. 21Remember their words always. Tie them around your neck and keep them over your heart. 22Let this teaching lead you wherever you go. It will watch over you while you sleep. And when you wake up, it will give you good advice.
23Your parents give you commands and teachings that are like lights to show you the right way. This teaching corrects you and trains you to follow the path to life. 24It stops you from going to an evil woman, and it protects you from the smooth talk of another man’s wife. 25Such a woman might be beautiful, but don’t let that beauty tempt you. Don’t let her eyes capture you. 26A prostitute might cost a loaf of bread, but the wife of another man could cost you your life. 27If you drop a hot coal in your lap, your clothes will be burned. 28If you step on one, your feet will be burned. 29If you sleep with another man’s wife, you will be punished.
30-31A hungry man might steal to fill his stomach. If he is caught, he must pay seven times more than he stole. It might cost him everything he owns, but other people understand. They don’t lose all their respect for him. 32But a man who commits adultery is a fool. He brings about his own destruction. 33He will suffer disease and disgrace and never be free from the shame. 34The woman’s husband will be jealous and angry and do everything he can to get revenge. 35No payment—no amount of money—will stop him.
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