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Proverbs 6:1-5
New Catholic Bible
Proverbs 6:1-5
New Catholic Bible
Four Recommendations[a]
Chapter 6
Do Not Take on Impossible Tasks[b]
1 My son, if you have guaranteed the debt of your neighbor
or the bond of a stranger,
2 you have been trapped by the utterance of your lips,
ensnared by the words of your mouth.
3 To extricate yourself from this situation,
this is what you must do, my son.
Since you have fallen into his power,
go directly to your neighbor and plead with him.
4 Give your eyes no sleep,
your eyelids no slumber.
5 Break free like a gazelle from a trap
or like a bird from the grasp of a fowler.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 6:1 Every civilization has maxims based on observation of life. Here are some of them—very ancient morsels mislaid in this prologue that they interrupt.
- Proverbs 6:1 People are to preserve with prudence the fruit of their work and not undertake impossible tasks. This is a popular and cautious wisdom that is found under all skies. For example, a guarantor is exhorted to urge the debtor to make payment, since otherwise he, the guarantor, will have to pay.
