1 M y son, if you have put yourself as a trust for what your neighbor owes to another, or if you have made a promise for a stranger,

My son, if thou art become surety for thy neighbor, If thou hast stricken thy hands for a stranger;

2 y ou have been trapped with the words of your lips. You 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 now, my son, and get yourself out of trouble, for you have come into the hand of your neighbor. Go without pride and beg your neighbor to let you go.

Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, Seeing thou art come into the hand of thy neighbor: Go, humble thyself, and importune thy neighbor;

4 D o not let your eyes sleep. Do not let your eyes close.

Give not sleep to thine eyes, Nor slumber to thine eyelids;

5 T ake yourself away like a deer from the man who kills animals, and like a bird from the hand of the man who catches birds.

Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, And as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

6 G o to the ant, O lazy person. Watch and think about her ways, and be wise.

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

7 S he has no leader, head or ruler,

Which having no chief, Overseer, or ruler,

8 b ut she gets her food ready in the summer, and gathers her food at the right time.

Provideth her bread in the summer, And gathereth her food in the harvest.

9 H ow long will you lie down, O lazy person? When will you rise up from your sleep?

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

10 A little sleep, a little rest, a little folding of the hands to rest,

Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep:

11 a nd being poor will come upon you like a robber, and your need like a man ready to fight.

So shall thy poverty come as a robber, And thy want as an armed man.

12 A person of no worth, a sinful man, is he who goes about telling lies.

A worthless person, a man of iniquity, Is he that walketh with a perverse mouth;

13 H e winks with his eyes, makes signs with his feet, and makes certain moves with his fingers.

That winketh with his eyes, that speaketh with his feet, That maketh signs with his fingers;

14 H e always plans to do sinful things because of his sinful heart. He causes arguing among people.

In whose heart is perverseness, Who deviseth evil continually, Who soweth discord.

15 S o trouble will come upon him all at once. Right then he will be broken, and there will be no healing.

Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; On a sudden shall he be broken, and that without remedy.

16 T here are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven that are hated by Him:

There are six things which Jehovah hateth; Yea, seven which are an abomination unto him:

17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that kill those who are without guilt,

Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood;

18 a heart that makes sinful plans, feet that run fast to sin,

A heart that deviseth wicked purposes, Feet that are swift in running to mischief,

19 a person who tells lies about someone else, and one who starts fights among brothers.

A false witness that uttereth lies, And he that soweth discord among brethren.

20 M y son, keep the teaching of your father, and do not turn away from the teaching of your mother.

My son, keep the commandment of thy father, And forsake not the law of thy mother:

21 H old them always to your heart. Tie them around your neck.

Bind them continually upon thy heart; Tie them about thy neck.

22 T hey will lead you when you walk. They will watch over you when you sleep, and they will talk with you when you wake up.

When thou walkest, it shall lead thee; When thou sleepest, it shall watch over thee; And when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.

23 F or the word is a lamp. The teaching is a light, and strong words that punish are the way of life.

For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; And reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

24 T hey keep you from the sinful woman, from the smooth tongue of a sinful woman.

To keep thee from the evil woman, From the flattery of the foreigner's tongue.

25 D o not desire her beauty in your heart. Do not let her catch you with her eyes.

Lust not after her beauty in thy heart; Neither let her take thee with her eyelids.

26 F or because of a woman who sells the use of her body, one is brought down to a loaf of bread. A sinful woman hunts to take a man’s very life.

For on account of a harlot a man is brought to a piece of bread; And the adulteress hunteth for the precious life.

27 C an a man carry fire in his arms, and his clothes not be burned?

Can a man take fire in his bosom, And his clothes not be burned?

28 C an a man walk on hot coals, and his feet not be burned?

Or can one walk upon hot coals, And his feet not be scorched?

29 S o is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife. Whoever touches her will be punished.

So he that goeth in to his neighbor's wife; Whosoever toucheth her shall not be unpunished.

30 M en do not hate a robber who steals food for himself when he is hungry.

Men do not despise a thief, if he steal To satisfy himself when he is hungry:

31 B ut if he is caught, he must pay seven times what he took. He must give up all the things in his house.

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

32 H e who does sex sins with a woman does not think well. He who does it is destroying himself.

He that committeth adultery with a woman is void of understanding: He doeth it who would destroy his own soul.

33 H e will be hurt and ashamed, and his shame will not be taken away.

Wounds and dishonor shall he get; And his reproach shall not be wiped away.

34 J ealousy makes a man angry. He will show no pity for the wrong that was done to him.

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

35 H e will not take pay, and he will not be happy even if you give him many gifts.

He will not regard any ransom; Neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.