1 M y son, if you have become surety for your neighbor, Have given a pledge for a stranger,

My son, if thou hast become surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand for a stranger,

2 I f you have been snared with the words of your mouth, Have been caught with the words of your mouth,

thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.

3 D o this then, my son, and deliver yourself; Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor, Go, humble yourself, and importune your neighbor.

Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, since thou hast come into the hand of thy friend: go, humble thyself, and be urgent with thy friend.

4 G ive no sleep to your eyes, Nor slumber to your eyelids;

Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids:

5 D eliver yourself like a gazelle from the hunter’s hand And like a bird from the hand of the fowler.

deliver thyself as a gazelle from the hand, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

6 G o to the ant, O sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise,

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

7 W hich, having no chief, Officer or ruler,

which having no chief, overseer, or ruler,

8 P repares her food in the summer And gathers her provision in the harvest.

provideth her bread in the summer, gathereth her food in the harvest.

9 H ow long will you lie down, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep?

How long, sluggard, wilt thou lie down? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

10 “ A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest”—

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest!

11 Y our poverty will come in like a vagabond And your need like an armed man.

So shall thy poverty come as a roving plunderer, and thy penury as an armed man.

12 A worthless person, a wicked man, Is the one who walks with a perverse mouth,

A man of Belial, a wicked person, is he that goeth about with a perverse mouth;

13 W ho winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet, Who points with his fingers;

he winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;

14 W ho with perversity in his heart continually devises evil, Who spreads strife.

deceits are in his heart; he deviseth mischief at all times, he soweth discords.

15 T herefore his calamity will come suddenly; Instantly he will be broken and there will be no healing.

Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly: in a moment shall he be broken, and without remedy.

16 T here are six things which the Lord hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him:

These six doth Jehovah hate, yea, seven are an abomination unto him:

17 H aughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood,

haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood;

18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil,

a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations; feet that are swift in running to mischief;

19 A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.

a false witness that uttereth lies, and he that soweth discords among brethren.

20 M y son, observe the commandment of your father And do not forsake the teaching of your mother;

My son, observe thy father's commandment, and forsake not the teaching of thy mother;

21 B ind them continually on your heart; Tie them around your neck.

bind them continually upon thy heart, tie them about thy neck:

22 W hen you walk about, they will guide you; When you sleep, they will watch over you; And when you awake, they will talk to you.

when thou walkest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.

23 F or the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; And reproofs for discipline are the way of life

For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching a light, and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

24 T o keep you from the evil woman, From the smooth tongue of the adulteress.

to keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.

25 D o not desire her beauty in your heart, Nor let her capture you with her eyelids.

Lust not after her beauty in thy heart, neither let her take thee with her eyelids;

26 F or on account of a harlot one is reduced to a loaf of bread, And an adulteress hunts for the precious life.

for by means of a whorish woman to a loaf of bread, and another's wife doth hunt for the precious soul.

27 C an a man take fire in his bosom And his clothes not be burned?

Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his garments not be burned?

28 O r can a man walk on hot coals And his feet not be scorched?

Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be scorched?

29 S o is the one who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; Whoever touches her will not go unpunished.

So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife: whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.

30 M en do not despise a thief if he steals To satisfy himself when he is hungry;

They do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry:

31 B ut when he is found, he must repay sevenfold; He must give all the substance of his house.

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

32 T he one who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense; He who would destroy himself does it.

Whoso committeth adultery with a woman is void of understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.

33 W ounds and disgrace he will find, And his reproach will not be blotted out.

A wound and contempt shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.

34 F or jealousy enrages a man, And he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

For jealousy is the rage of a man, and he will not spare in the day of vengeance;

35 H e will not accept any ransom, Nor will he be satisfied though you give many gifts.

he will not regard any ransom, neither will he rest content though thou multipliest gifts.