Proverbs 6, side by side

¹My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have struck hands in pledge with a stranger,

¹My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,

²if you have been trapped by the words of your lips, ensnared by the words of your mouth,

²Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.

³then do this, my son, to free yourself, for you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands: Go, humble yourself, and press your plea with your neighbor.

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.

⁴Allow no sleep to your eyes or slumber to your eyelids.

⁴Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.

⁵Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.

⁵Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

⁶Walk in the manner of the ant, O slacker; observe its ways and become wise.

⁶Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

⁷Without a commander, without an overseer or ruler,

⁷Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,

⁸it prepares its provisions in summer; it gathers its food at harvest.

⁸Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

⁹How long will you lie there, O slacker? When will you get up from your sleep?

⁹How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

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

¹⁰Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

¹¹and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.

¹¹So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.

¹²A worthless person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth,

¹²A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.

¹³winking his eyes, speaking with his feet, and pointing with his fingers.

¹³He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;

¹⁴With deceit in his heart he devises evil; he continually sows discord.

¹⁴Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.

¹⁵Therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in an instant he will be shattered beyond recovery.

¹⁵Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.

¹⁶There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him:

¹⁶These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:

¹⁷haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,

¹⁷A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

¹⁸a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that run swiftly to evil,

¹⁸An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,

¹⁹a false witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up discord among brothers.

¹⁹A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

²⁰My son, keep your father’s commandment, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

²⁰My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

²¹Bind them always upon your heart; tie them around your neck.

²¹Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.

²²When you walk, they will guide you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you.

²²When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.

²³For this commandment is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way to life,

²³For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

²⁴to keep you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.

²⁴To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.

²⁵Do not lust in your heart for her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.

²⁵Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.

²⁶For the levy of the prostitute is poverty, and the adulteress preys upon your very life.

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 embrace fire and his clothes not be burned?

²⁷Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?

²⁸Can a man walk on hot coals without scorching his feet?

²⁸Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?

²⁹So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished.

²⁹So he that goeth in to his neighbour’s wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.

³⁰Men do not despise the thief if he steals to satisfy his hunger.

³⁰Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;

³¹Yet if caught, he must pay sevenfold; he must give up all the wealth of his house.

³¹But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.

³²He who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself.

³²But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.

³³Wounds and dishonor will befall him, and his reproach will never be wiped away.

³³A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.

³⁴For jealousy enrages a husband, and he will show no mercy in the day of vengeance.

³⁴For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

³⁵He will not be appeased by any ransom, or persuaded by lavish gifts.

³⁵He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.