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| 1My son, if thou be surety for thy friend,
if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, 2Thou art snared with the
words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. 3Do this
now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy
friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend. 4Give not sleep
to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids. 5Deliver thyself as a roe
from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: 7Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, 8Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. 9How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? 10Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: 11So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man. 12A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth. 13He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; 14Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord. 15Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy. 16These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. 20My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: 21Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. 22When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. 23For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: 24To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. 25Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids. 26For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life. 27Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? 28Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? 29So he that goeth in to his neighbour’s wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent. 30Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; 31But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house. 32But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. 33A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away. 34For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. 35He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts. |
My child, if you co-sign a loan for
a friend or guarantee the debt of someone you hardly know—2 if you have
trapped yourself by your agreement and are caught by what you said—3 quick,
get out of it if you possibly can! You have placed yourself at your friend’s
mercy. Now swallow your pride; go and beg to have your name erased. 4 Don’t
put it off. Do it now! Don’t rest until you do. 5 Save yourself like a
deer escaping from a hunter, like a bird fleeing from a net.
6 Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and be wise! 7 Even though they have no prince, governor, or ruler to make them work, 8 they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. 9 But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? I want you to learn this lesson: 10 A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—11 and poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber. 12 Here is a description of worthless and wicked people: They are constant liars, 13 signaling their true intentions to their friends by making signs with their eyes and feet and fingers. 14 Their perverted hearts plot evil. They stir up trouble constantly. 15 But they will be destroyed suddenly, broken beyond all hope of healing. 16 There are six things the Lord hates—no, seven things
he detests:
20 My son, obey your father’s commands, and don’t neglect
your mother’s teaching. 21 Keep their words always in your heart. Tie them
around your neck. 22 Wherever you walk, their counsel can lead you. When
you sleep, they will protect you. When you wake up in the morning, they
will advise you. 23 For these commands and this teaching are a lamp to
light the way ahead of you. The correction of discipline is the way to
life.
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