Proverbs 6
6
Lessons for Daily Life
1My child,#6:1 Hebrew My son. if you have put up security for a friend’s debt
or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger—
2if you have trapped yourself by your agreement
and are caught by what you said—
3follow my advice and save yourself,
for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy.
Now swallow your pride;
go and beg to have your name erased.
4Don’t put it off; do it now!
Don’t rest until you do.
5Save yourself like a gazelle escaping from a hunter,
like a bird fleeing from a net.
6Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones.
Learn from their ways and become wise!
7Though they have no prince
or governor or ruler to make them work,
8they labor hard all summer,
gathering food for the winter.
9But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep?
When will you wake up?
10A little extra sleep, a little more slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest—
11then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit;
scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.
12What are worthless and wicked people like?
They are constant liars,
13signaling their deceit with a wink of the eye,
a nudge of the foot, or the wiggle of fingers.
14Their perverted hearts plot evil,
and they constantly stir up trouble.
15But they will be destroyed suddenly,
broken in an instant beyond all hope of healing.
16There are six things the Lord hates—
no, seven things he detests:
17haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that kill the innocent,
18a heart that plots evil,
feet that race to do wrong,
19a false witness who pours out lies,
a person who sows discord in a family.
20My son, obey your father’s commands,
and don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.
21Keep their words always in your heart.
Tie them around your neck.
22When you walk, their counsel will lead you.
When you sleep, they will protect you.
When you wake up, they will advise you.
23For their command is a lamp
and their instruction a light;
their corrective discipline
is the way to life.
24It will keep you from the immoral woman,
from the smooth tongue of a promiscuous woman.
25Don’t lust for her beauty.
Don’t let her coy glances seduce you.
26For a prostitute will bring you to poverty,#6:26 Hebrew to a loaf of bread.
but sleeping with another man’s wife will cost you your life.
27Can a man scoop a flame into his lap
and not have his clothes catch on fire?
28Can he walk on hot coals
and not blister his feet?
29So it is with the man who sleeps with another man’s wife.
He who embraces her will not go unpunished.
30Excuses might be found for a thief
who steals because he is starving.
31But if he is caught, he must pay back seven times what he stole,
even if he has to sell everything in his house.
32But the man who commits adultery is an utter fool,
for he destroys himself.
33He will be wounded and disgraced.
His shame will never be erased.
34For the woman’s jealous husband will be furious,
and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.
35He will accept no compensation,
nor be satisfied with a payoff of any size.
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
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Proverbs 6
6
Avoid Disaster
1My son,
if you guarantee a loan for your neighbor
or pledge yourself for a stranger with a handshake,
2you are trapped by the words of your own mouth,
caught by your own promise.
3Do the following things, my son, so that you may free yourself,
because you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands:
Humble yourself,
and pester your neighbor.
4Don’t let your eyes rest
or your eyelids close.
5Free yourself like a gazelle from the hand of a hunter
and like a bird from the hand of a hunter.
6Consider the ant, you lazy bum.
Watch its ways, and become wise.
7Although it has no overseer, officer, or ruler,
8in summertime it stores its food supply.
At harvest time it gathers its food.
9How long will you lie there, you lazy bum?
When will you get up from your sleep?
10“Just a little sleep,
just a little slumber,
just a little nap.”
11Then your poverty will come ⌞to you⌟ like a drifter,
and your need will come ⌞to you⌟ like a bandit.
12A good-for-nothing scoundrel is a person who has a dishonest mouth.
13He winks his eye,
makes a signal with his foot,
⌞and⌟ points with his fingers.
14He devises evil all the time with a twisted mind.
He spreads conflict.
15That is why disaster will come on him suddenly.
In a moment he will be crushed beyond recovery.
16There are six things that the Lord hates,
even seven that are disgusting to him:
17arrogant eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that kill innocent people,
18a mind devising wicked plans,
feet that are quick to do wrong,
19a dishonest witness spitting out lies,
and a person who spreads conflict among relatives.
More Advice about Avoiding Adultery
20My son,
obey the command of your father,
and do not disregard the teachings of your mother.
21Fasten them on your heart forever.
Hang them around your neck.
22When you walk around, they will lead you.
When you lie down, they will watch over you.
When you wake up, they will talk to you
23because the command is a lamp,
the teachings are a light,
and the warnings from discipline are the path of life
24to keep you from an evil woman
and from the smooth talk of a loose woman.
25Do not desire her beauty in your heart.
Do not let her catch you with her eyes.
26A prostitute’s price is ⌞only⌟ a loaf of bread,
but a married woman hunts for ⌞your⌟ life itself.
27Can a man carry fire in his lap
without burning his clothes?
28Can anyone walk on red-hot coals
without burning his feet?
29So it is with a man who has sex with his neighbor’s wife.
None who touch her will escape punishment.
30People do not despise a thief who is hungry
when he steals to satisfy his appetite,
31but when he is caught,
he has to repay it seven times.
He must give up all the possessions in his house.
32Whoever commits adultery with a woman has no sense.
Whoever does this destroys himself.
33An adulterous man will find disease #6:33 Or “wounds.” and dishonor,
and his disgrace will not be blotted out,
34because jealousy arouses a husband’s fury.
The husband will show no mercy when he takes revenge.
35No amount of money will change his mind.
The largest bribe will not satisfy him.
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