Proverbs 6:1-25 ▼

1 My son, if thou art become surety for thy neighbour, If thou hast struck thy hands for a stranger--

2 Thou art snared by the words of thy mouth, Thou art caught by the words of thy mouth--

3 Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, Seeing thou art come into the hand of thy neighbour; Go, humble thyself, and urge thy neighbour.

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

5 Deliver thyself as a gazelle from the hand [of the hunter], And as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

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

7 Which having no chief, Overseer, or ruler,

8 Provideth her bread in the summer, And gatherest her food in the harvest.

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

10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep'--

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

12 A base person, a man of iniquity, Is he that walketh with a froward mouth;

13 That winketh with his eyes, that scrapeth with his feet, That pointeth with his fingers;

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

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

16 There are six things which the LORD hateth, Yea, seven which are an abomination unto Him:

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

18 A heart that deviseth wicked thoughts, Feet that are swift in running to evil;

19 A false witness that breatheth out lies, And he that soweth discord among brethren.

20 My son, keep the commandment of thy father, And forsake not the teaching of thy mother;

21 Bind them continually upon thy heart, Tie them about thy neck.

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

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

24 To keep thee from the evil woman, From the smoothness of the alien tongue.

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