Chapter 6

  My son! if thou hast been surety for thy friend, Hast stricken for a stranger thy hand,  

--

  Hast been snared with sayings of thy mouth, Hast been captured with sayings of thy mouth,  

--

  Do this now, my son, and be delivered, For thou hast come into the hand of thy friend. Go, trample on thyself, and strengthen thy friend,  

--

  Give not sleep to thine eyes, And slumber to thine eyelids,  

--

  Be delivered as a roe from the hand, And as a bird from the hand of a fowler.  

--

  Go unto the ant, O slothful one, See her ways and be wise;  

--

  Which hath not captain, overseer, and ruler,  

--

  She doth prepare in summer her bread, She hath gathered in harvest her food.  

--

  Till when, O slothful one, dost thou lie? When dost thou arise from thy sleep?  

--

  A little sleep, a little slumber, A little clasping of the hands to rest,  

--

  And thy poverty hath come as a traveller, And thy want as an armed man.  

--

  A man of worthlessness, a man of iniquity, Walking [with] perverseness of mouth,  

--

  Winking with his eyes, speaking with his feet, Directing with his fingers,  

--

  Frowardness [is] in his heart, devising evil at all times, Contentions he sendeth forth.  

--

  Therefore suddenly cometh his calamity, Instantly he is broken -- and no healing.  

--

  These six hath Jehovah hated, Yea, seven [are] abominations to His soul.  

--

  Eyes high -- tongues false -- And hands shedding innocent blood --  

--

  A heart devising thoughts of vanity -- Feet hasting to run to evil --  

--

  A false witness [who] doth breathe out lies -- And one sending forth contentions between brethren.  

--

  Keep, my son, the command of thy father, And leave not the law of thy mother.  

--

  Bind them on thy heart continually, Tie them on thy neck.  

--

  In thy going up and down, it leadeth thee, In thy lying down, it watcheth over thee, And thou hast awaked -- it talketh [with] thee.  

--

  For a lamp [is] the command, And the law a light, And a way of life [are] reproofs of instruction,  

--

  To preserve thee from an evil woman, From the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.  

--

  Desire not her beauty in thy heart, And let her not take thee with her eyelids.  

--

  For a harlot consumeth unto a cake of bread, And an adulteress the precious soul hunteth.  

--

  Doth a man take fire into his bosom, And are his garments not burnt?  

--

  Doth a man walk on the hot coals, And are his feet not scorched?  

--

  So [is] he who hath gone in unto the wife of his neighbour, None who doth touch her is innocent.  

--

  They do not despise the thief, When he stealeth to fill his soul when he is hungry,  

--

  And being found he repayeth sevenfold, All the substance of his house he giveth.  

--

  He who committeth adultery [with] a woman lacketh heart, He is destroying his soul who doth it.  

--

  A stroke and shame he doth find, And his reproach is not wiped away,  

--

  For jealousy [is] the fury of a man, And he doth not spare in a day of vengeance.  

--

  He accepteth not the appearance of any atonement, Yea, he doth not consent, Though thou dost multiply bribes!  

--