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

My son! if thou hast been surety for thy friend, Hast stricken for a stranger thy hand,

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

Hast been snared with sayings of thy mouth, Hast been captured with sayings 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 be delivered, For thou hast come into the hand of thy friend. Go, trample on thyself, and strengthen thy friend,

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

Give not sleep to thine eyes, And 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.

Be delivered as a roe from the hand, And as a bird from the hand of a fowler.

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

Go unto the ant, O slothful one, See her ways and be wise;

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

Which hath not captain, overseer, and ruler,

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

She doth prepare in summer her bread, She hath gathered in harvest her food.

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

Till when, O slothful one, dost thou lie? When dost thou arise from 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 clasping of the hands to rest,

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

And thy poverty hath come as a traveller, And thy want as an armed man.

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

A man of worthlessness, a man of iniquity, Walking perverseness of mouth,

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

Winking with his eyes, speaking with his feet, Directing with his fingers,

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

Frowardness in his heart, devising evil at all times, Contentions he sendeth forth.

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

Therefore suddenly cometh his calamity, Instantly he is broken -- and no healing.

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

These six hath Jehovah hated, Yea, seven abominations to His soul.

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

Eyes high -- tongues false -- And hands shedding innocent blood --

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

A heart devising thoughts of vanity -- Feet hasting to run to evil --

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

A false witness doth breathe out lies -- And one sending forth contentions between brethren.

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

Keep, my son, the command of thy father, And leave not the law of thy mother.

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

Bind them on thy heart continually, Tie them on 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.

In thy going up and down, it leadeth thee, In thy lying down, it watcheth over thee, And thou hast awaked -- it talketh thee.

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

For a lamp the command, And the law a light, And a way of life reproofs of instruction,

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

To preserve thee from an 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.

Desire not her beauty in thy heart, And let her not 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 a harlot consumeth unto a cake of bread, And an adulteress the precious soul hunteth.

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

Doth a man take fire into his bosom, And are his garments not burnt?

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

Doth a man walk on the hot coals, And are his feet not scorched?

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

So he who hath gone in unto the wife of his neighbour, None who doth touch her is innocent.

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

They do not despise the thief, When he stealeth to fill 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 being found he repayeth sevenfold, All the substance of his house he giveth.

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

He who committeth adultery a woman lacketh heart, He is destroying his soul who doth it.

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

A stroke and shame he doth find, And his reproach is not wiped away,

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

For jealousy the fury of a man, And he doth not spare in a day of vengeance.

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

He accepteth not the appearance of any atonement, Yea, he doth not consent, Though thou dost multiply bribes!