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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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
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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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.