Pro 6 | NASB2020 | STEP | My son , if you have become a guarantor for your neighbor , Or have given a handshake for a stranger ,

Proverbs 6

Parental Counsel

1 My son, if you have become a ^aguarantor for your neighbor,
Or have given a handshake for a stranger,
2 If you have been ensnared by the words of your mouth,
Or caught by the words of your mouth,
3 Then do this, my son, and save yourself:
Since you have come into the ^{▼▼Lit palm}hand of your neighbor,
Go, humble yourself, and be urgent with your neighbor to free yourself.
4 Give no ^csleep to your eyes,
Nor slumber to your eyelids;
5 Save yourself like a gazelle from the hunter’s hand,
And like a ^dbird from the hand of the fowler.

6 Go to the ^eant, you ^{▼▼Lit idle one
,} ^glazy one,
Observe its ways and be wise,
7 Which, having ^hno chief,
Officer, or ruler,
8 Prepares its food ⁱin the summer
And gathers its provision in the harvest.
9 How long will you lie down, you ^{▼▼Lit idle one}lazy one?
When will you arise from your sleep?
10 “ ^kA little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to ^{▼▼Lit lie down}rest,”
11 ^mThen your poverty will come in like a ^{▼▼Lit one who moves about}drifter,
And your need like ^{▼▼Lit a man with a shield}an armed man.

12 A ^pworthless person, a wicked man,
Is one who walks with a ^qperverse mouth,
13 Who ^rwinks with his eyes, who ^{▼▼Lit scrapes}signals with his feet,
Who ^{▼▼Lit instructs with}points with his fingers;
14 Who, with ^uperversion in his heart, continually ^vdevises evil,
Who ^{▼▼Lit sends out
,} ^xspreads strife.
15 Therefore ^yhis disaster will come suddenly;
^zInstantly he will be broken and there will be ^aano healing.

16 There are six things that the Lord hates,
Seven that are an abomination ^{▼▼Lit of His soul}to Him:
17 ^acHaughty eyes, a ^adlying tongue,
And hands that ^aeshed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises ^afwicked plans,
^agFeet that run rapidly to evil,
19 A ^ahfalse witness who declares lies,
And one who ^{▼▼Lit sends out
,} ^ajspreads strife among brothers.

20 ^akMy son, comply with the commandment of your father,
And do not ignore the ^{▼▼Or law}teaching of your mother;
21 ^amBind them continually on your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
22 When you ^anwalk, ^{▼▼Lit she}they will guide you;
When you sleep, ^{▼▼Lit she}they will watch over you;
And when you awake, ^{▼▼Lit she}they will talk to you.
23 For ^arthe commandment is a lamp and the ^{▼▼Or law}teaching is light;
And rebukes for discipline are the way of life
24 To ^atkeep you from the evil woman,
From the smooth tongue of the foreign woman.
25 ^auDo not desire her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her capture you with her ^aveyelids.
26 For ^awthe price of a prostitute reduces one to a loaf of bread,
And ^{▼▼Lit a man’s wife}an adulteress ^ayhunts for a precious life.
27 Can anyone take fire in his lap
And his clothes not be burned?
28 Or can a person walk on hot coals
And his feet not be scorched?
29 So is the one who ^azgoes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her ^bawill not ^{▼▼Lit be innocent}go unpunished.
30 People do not despise a thief if he steals
To ^bcsatisfy ^{▼▼Lit his soul}himself when he is hungry;
31 But when he is found, he must ^berepay seven times as much;
He must give up all the property of his house.
32 One who commits adultery with a woman is ^bflacking ^{▼▼Lit heart}sense;
He who would ^bhdestroy ^{▼▼Lit his soul}himself commits it.
33 He will find wounds and disgrace,
And his shame will not be removed.
34 For ^bjjealousy ^{▼▼Lit is the rage of}enrages a man,
And he will not have compassion on the ^blday of vengeance.
35 He will not ^{▼▼Lit lift up the face of any}accept any settlement,
Nor will he be ^{▼▼Lit willing}satisfied though you make it a large gift.