New Living Translation

King James Bible

1My child, if you have put up security for a friend’s debt or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger—

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

2if you have trapped yourself by your agreement and are caught by what you said—

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

3follow my advice and save yourself, for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy. Now swallow your pride; go and beg to have your name erased.

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.

4Don’t put it off; do it now! Don’t rest until you do.

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

5Save yourself like a gazelle escaping from a hunter, like a bird fleeing from a net.

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

6Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise!

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

7Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work,

7Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,

8they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter.

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

9But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up?

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

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

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

11then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

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

12What are worthless and wicked people like? They are constant liars,

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

13signaling their deceit with a wink of the eye, a nudge of the foot, or the wiggle of fingers.

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

14Their perverted hearts plot evil, and they constantly stir up trouble.

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

15But they will be destroyed suddenly, broken in an instant beyond all hope of healing.

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

16There are six things the LORD hates— no, seven things he detests:

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

17haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent,

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

18a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong,

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

19a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.

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

20My son, obey your father’s commands, and don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.

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

21Keep their words always in your heart. Tie them around your neck.

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

22When you walk, their counsel will lead you. When you sleep, they will protect you. When you wake up, they will advise 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 their command is a lamp and their instruction a light; their corrective discipline is the way to life.

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

24It will keep you from the immoral woman, from the smooth tongue of a promiscuous woman.

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

25Don’t lust for her beauty. Don’t let her coy glances seduce you.

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

26For a prostitute will bring you to poverty, but sleeping with another man’s wife will cost you your 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 scoop a flame into his lap and not have his clothes catch on fire?

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

28Can he walk on hot coals and not blister his feet?

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

29So it is with the man who sleeps with another man’s wife. He who embraces her will not go unpunished.

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

30Excuses might be found for a thief who steals because he is starving.

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

31But if he is caught, he must pay back seven times what he stole, even if he has to sell everything in his house.

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

32But the man who commits adultery is an utter fool, for he destroys himself.

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

33He will be wounded and disgraced. His shame will never be erased.

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

34For the woman’s jealous husband will be furious, and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.

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

35He will accept no compensation, nor be satisfied with a payoff of any size.

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

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.