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Proverbs 6
Modern English Version
Proverbs 6
Modern English Version
Warning Against Pledges
6 My son, if you put up a security for your friend,
if you have shaken hands with a stranger,
2 you are snared with the words of your mouth;
you are taken with the words of your mouth.
3 Do this now, my son, and deliver yourself;
when you have come into the hand of your friend,
go and humble yourself;
plead with your friend.
4 Give no sleep to your eyes,
nor slumber to your eyelids.
5 Deliver yourself as a doe from the hand of the hunter,
and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
The Folly of Idleness
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard!
Consider her ways and be wise.
7 Which, having no guide,
overseer, or ruler,
8 provides her bread in the summer,
and gathers her food in the harvest.
9 How long will you sleep, O sluggard?
When will you arise out of your sleep?
10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to sleep—
11 so will your poverty come upon you like a stalker,
and your need as an armed man.
The Wicked Man
12 A wayward person, a wicked man,
walks with a perverse mouth.
13 He winks with his eyes,
he signals with his feet,
he motions with his fingers;
14 perversity is in his heart,
he devises mischief continually, he sows discord.
15 Therefore his calamity will come suddenly;
in a moment he will be broken without remedy.
16 These six things the Lord hates,
yes, seven are an abomination to him:
17 a proud look,
a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked imaginations,
feet that are swift in running to mischief,
19 a false witness who speaks lies,
and he who sows discord among brethren.
Warning Against Adultery
20 My son, keep your father’s commandment,
and do not forsake the instruction of your mother.
21 Bind them continually upon your heart,
and tie them around your neck.
22 When you go, they will lead you;
when you sleep, they will keep you;
and when you awake, they will speak with you.
23 For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light;
and reproofs of instruction are the way of life,
24 to keep you from the evil woman,
from the flattery of the tongue of a seductress.
25 Do not lust after her beauty in your heart,
nor let her allure you with her eyelids.
26 For by means of a harlot a man is reduced to a piece of bread,
and the adulteress will prey upon his precious life.
27 Can a man take fire in his bosom,
and his clothes not be burned?
28 Can one walk upon hot coals,
and his feet not be burned?
29 So he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
whoever touches her will not be innocent.
30 Men do not despise a thief if he steals
to satisfy himself when he is hungry.
31 But if he is found, he will restore sevenfold;
he will give all the substance of his house.
32 But whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding;
he who does it destroys his own soul.
33 A wound and dishonor will he get,
and his reproach will not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy is the rage of a man;
therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35 He will not regard any ransom,
nor will he rest content, though you give many gifts.
Proverbs 6
New International Version
Proverbs 6
New International Version
Warnings Against Folly
6 My son,(A) if you have put up security(B) for your neighbor,(C)
if you have shaken hands in pledge(D) for a stranger,
2 you have been trapped by what you said,
ensnared by the words of your mouth.
3 So do this, my son, to free yourself,
since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands:
Go—to the point of exhaustion—[a]
and give your neighbor no rest!
4 Allow no sleep to your eyes,
no slumber to your eyelids.(E)
5 Free yourself, like a gazelle(F) from the hand of the hunter,(G)
like a bird from the snare of the fowler.(H)
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard;(I)
consider its ways and be wise!
7 It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
8 yet it stores its provisions in summer(J)
and gathers its food at harvest.(K)
9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard?(L)
When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest(M)—
11 and poverty(N) will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man.
12 A troublemaker and a villain,
who goes about with a corrupt mouth,
13 who winks maliciously with his eye,(O)
signals with his feet
and motions with his fingers,(P)
14 who plots evil(Q) with deceit in his heart—
he always stirs up conflict.(R)
15 Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant;(S)
he will suddenly(T) be destroyed—without remedy.(U)
16 There are six things the Lord hates,(V)
seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes,(W)
a lying tongue,(X)
hands that shed innocent blood,(Y)
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,(Z)
19 a false witness(AA) who pours out lies(AB)
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.(AC)
Warning Against Adultery
20 My son,(AD) keep your father’s command
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.(AE)
21 Bind them always on your heart;
fasten them around your neck.(AF)
22 When you walk, they will guide you;
when you sleep, they will watch over you;
when you awake, they will speak to you.
23 For this command is a lamp,
this teaching is a light,(AG)
and correction and instruction
are the way to life,(AH)
24 keeping you from your neighbor’s wife,
from the smooth talk of a wayward woman.(AI)
25 Do not lust in your heart after her beauty
or let her captivate you with her eyes.
26 For a prostitute can be had for a loaf of bread,
but another man’s wife preys on your very life.(AJ)
27 Can a man scoop fire into his lap
without his clothes being burned?
28 Can a man walk on hot coals
without his feet being scorched?
29 So is he who sleeps(AK) with another man’s wife;(AL)
no one who touches her will go unpunished.
30 People do not despise a thief if he steals
to satisfy his hunger when he is starving.
31 Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold,(AM)
though it costs him all the wealth of his house.
32 But a man who commits adultery(AN) has no sense;(AO)
whoever does so destroys himself.
33 Blows and disgrace are his lot,
and his shame will never(AP) be wiped away.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 6:3 Or Go and humble yourself,
Modern English Version (MEV)
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.