King James Bible | New Living Translation |
1My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, | 1My child, if you have put up security for a friend’s debt or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger— |
2Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. | 2if you have trapped yourself by your agreement and are caught by what you said— |
3Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend. | 3follow my advice and save yourself, for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy. Now swallow your pride; go and beg to have your name erased. |
4Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids. | 4Don’t put it off; do it now! Don’t rest until you do. |
5Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler. | 5Save yourself like a gazelle escaping from a hunter, like a bird fleeing from a net. |
6Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: | 6Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! |
7Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, | 7Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, |
8Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. | 8they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. |
9How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? | 9But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? |
10Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: | 10A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— |
11So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man. | 11then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber. |
12A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth. | 12What are worthless and wicked people like? They are constant liars, |
13He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; | 13signaling their deceit with a wink of the eye, a nudge of the foot, or the wiggle of fingers. |
14Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord. | 14Their perverted hearts plot evil, and they constantly stir up trouble. |
15Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy. | 15But they will be destroyed suddenly, broken in an instant beyond all hope of healing. |
16These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: | 16There are six things the LORD hates— no, seven things he detests: |
17A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, | 17haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, |
18An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, | 18a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, |
19A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. | 19a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family. |
20My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: | 20My son, obey your father’s commands, and don’t neglect your mother’s instruction. |
21Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. | 21Keep their words always in your heart. Tie them around your neck. |
22When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. | 22When you walk, their counsel will lead you. When you sleep, they will protect you. When you wake up, they will advise you. |
23For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: | 23For their command is a lamp and their instruction a light; their corrective discipline is the way to life. |
24To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. | 24It will keep you from the immoral woman, from the smooth tongue of a promiscuous woman. |
25Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids. | 25Don’t lust for her beauty. Don’t let her coy glances seduce you. |
26For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life. | 26For a prostitute will bring you to poverty, but sleeping with another man’s wife will cost you your life. |
27Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? | 27Can a man scoop a flame into his lap and not have his clothes catch on fire? |
28Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? | 28Can he walk on hot coals and not blister his feet? |
29So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent. | 29So it is with the man who sleeps with another man’s wife. He who embraces her will not go unpunished. |
30Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; | 30Excuses might be found for a thief who steals because he is starving. |
31But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house. | 31But if he is caught, he must pay back seven times what he stole, even if he has to sell everything in his house. |
32But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. | 32But the man who commits adultery is an utter fool, for he destroys himself. |
33A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away. | 33He will be wounded and disgraced. His shame will never be erased. |
34For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. | 34For the woman’s jealous husband will be furious, and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge. |
35He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts. | 35He will accept no compensation, nor be satisfied with a payoff of any size. |
King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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