Proverbs 6:3
New International Version
So do this, my son, to free yourself, since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands: Go—to the point of exhaustion— and give your neighbor no rest!

New Living Translation
follow 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.

English Standard Version
then do this, my son, and save yourself, for you have come into the hand of your neighbor: go, hasten, and plead urgently with your neighbor.

Berean Standard Bible
then do this, my son, to free yourself, for you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands: Go, humble yourself, and press your plea with your neighbor.

King James Bible
Do 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.

New King James Version
So do this, my son, and deliver yourself; For you have come into the hand of your friend: Go and humble yourself; Plead with your friend.

New American Standard Bible
Then do this, my son, and save yourself: Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor, Go, humble yourself, and be urgent with your neighbor to free yourself.

NASB 1995
Do this then, my son, and deliver yourself; Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor, Go, humble yourself, and importune your neighbor.

NASB 1977
Do this then, my son, and deliver yourself; Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor, Go, humble yourself, and importune your neighbor.

Legacy Standard Bible
Do this then, my son, and deliver yourself; Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor, Go, humble yourself, and badger your neighbor.

Amplified Bible
Do this now, my son, and release yourself [from the obligation]; Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor, Go humble yourself, and plead with your neighbor [to pay his debt and release you].

Christian Standard Bible
Do this, then, my son, and free yourself, for you have put yourself in your neighbor’s power: Go, humble yourself, and plead with your neighbor.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Do this, then, my son, and free yourself, for you have put yourself in your neighbor’s power: Go, humble yourself, and plead with your neighbor.

American Standard Version
Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, Seeing thou art come into the hand of thy neighbor: Go, humble thyself, and importune thy neighbor;

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Do thus my son and be delivered because you are security for the person of your friend; you have fallen into the hands of your enemy. Coax therefore your friend, for whom you are security

Brenton Septuagint Translation
My son, do what I command thee, and deliver thyself; for on thy friend's account thou art come into the power of evil men: faint not, but stir up even thy friend for whom thou art become surety.

Contemporary English Version
and you are now in the power of someone else. Here is what you should do: Go and beg for permission to call off the agreement.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Do therefore, my son, what I say, and deliver thyself: because thou art fallen into the hand of thy neighbour. Run about, make haste, stir up thy friend:

English Revised Version
Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, seeing thou art come into the hand of thy neighbour; go, humble thyself, and importune thy neighbour.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Do the following things, my son, so that you may free yourself, because you have fallen into your neighbor's hands: Humble yourself, and pester your neighbor.

Good News Translation
Well then, my child, you are in that person's power, but this is how to get out of it: hurry to him, and beg him to release you.

International Standard Version
then do this, my son, and deliver yourself, because you have come under your neighbor's control. Go, humble yourself! Plead passionately with your neighbor!

JPS Tanakh 1917
Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, Seeing thou art come into the hand of thy neighbour; Go, humble thyself, and urge thy neighbour.

Literal Standard Version
Do this now, my son, and be delivered, | For you have come into the hand of your friend. Go, trample on yourself, and strengthen your friend,

Majority Standard Bible
then do this, my son, to free yourself, for you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands: Go, humble yourself, and press your plea with your neighbor.

New American Bible
So do this, my son, to free yourself, since you have fallen into your neighbor’s power: Go, hurry, rouse your neighbor!

NET Bible
then, my child, do this in order to deliver yourself, because you have fallen into your neighbor's power: go, humble yourself, and appeal firmly to your neighbor.

New Revised Standard Version
So do this, my child, and save yourself, for you have come into your neighbor’s power: go, hurry, and plead with your neighbor.

New Heart English Bible
Do this now, my son, and deliver yourself, seeing you have come into the hand of your neighbor. Go, humble yourself. Press your plea with your neighbor.

Webster's Bible Translation
Do 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.

World English Bible
Do this now, my son, and deliver yourself, since you have come into the hand of your neighbor. Go, humble yourself. Press your plea with your neighbor.

Young's Literal Translation
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,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Warnings Against Foolishness
2if you have been trapped by the words of your lips, ensnared by the words of your mouth, 3then do this, my son, to free yourself, for you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands: Go, humble yourself, and press your plea with your neighbor. 4Allow no sleep to your eyes or slumber to your eyelids.…

Cross References
Proverbs 6:2
if you have been trapped by the words of your lips, ensnared by the words of your mouth,

Proverbs 6:4
Allow no sleep to your eyes or slumber to your eyelids.


Treasury of Scripture

Do this now, my son, and deliver yourself, when you are come into the hand of your friend; go, humble yourself, and make sure your friend.

when

2 Samuel 24:14
And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of the LORD; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man.

2 Chronicles 12:5
Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak.

Psalm 31:8
And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room.

go

Exodus 10:3
And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me.

2 Chronicles 36:12
And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the LORD.

James 4:10
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

and make sure thy friend

Jump to Previous
Deliver Delivered Fallen Free Friend Hand Hasten Humble Neighbor Neighbor's Neighbour Plea Power Press Request Save Strengthen Strong Sure Thyself Trample Urge Urgent Waiting
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Deliver Delivered Fallen Free Friend Hand Hasten Humble Neighbor Neighbor's Neighbour Plea Power Press Request Save Strengthen Strong Sure Thyself Trample Urge Urgent Waiting
Proverbs 6
1. against indebtedness
6. idleness
12. and mischievousness
16. seven things detestable to God
20. the blessings of obedience
25. the mischief of unfaithfulness














(3) When thou art come . . .--Rather, for thou hast come under the power of thy friend; thou hast made thy freedom and property dependent on him for whom thou hast become surety.

Humble thyself.--Literally, let thyself be trampled on, humbly sue.

Make sure.--Rather, assail impetuously, importune.

Verse 3. - In this verse advice is tendered as to what is to be done under the circumstances of this entanglement. The surety is to take immediate steps to be set free. The urgency of the advice is to be explained by the serious consequences which would follow in the event of the debtor not satisfying the creditor in due time. The surety became liable to the penalties inflicted by the Hebrew law of debt. His property could be distrained. His bed and his garment could be taken from him (Proverbs 22:27 and Proverbs 20:16), and he was liable as well as his family to be reduced to the condition of servitude. So we find the son of Sirach saying, "Suretyship hath undone many of good estate, and shaken them as a wave of the sea: mighty men hath it driven from their houses, so that they wandered among strange nations" (Ecclus. 29:18; cf. 2 Kings 4:1; Nehemiah 5:3-5; and Matthew 18:25). Compare the dictum of Thales, the Greek philosopher, Ἐγγύα πάρα δ ἄτα, "Give surety, and ruin is near;" and that of Chilo (Pliny, 'Nat. Hist.,' 6:32), "Sponsioni non deest jactura" - "Loss is not wanting to a surety." The same idea is conveyed in the modern German proverb, "Burgen soll man wurgen" - "Worry a surety" Do this now; or, therefore. The particle epho is intensive, and emphasizes the command, and in this sense is of frequent occurrence (Job 17:15; Genesis 27:32; Genesis 43:11; 2 Kings 10:10, etc.). It appears to be equivalent to the Latin quod dico. So the Vulgate, "Do therefore what I say;" similarly the LXX. renders, "Do, my son, what I bid thee (α{ ἐγὼ σοι ἐντέλλομαι)." It carries with it the sense of instant and prompt action. And deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; i.e. set thyself free when thou findest thou art actually at the mercy of thy friend for whom thou hast become surety. The ki (כִּי) is not hypothetical, but actual; it is not "if" you are, but "when" or because you actually are in his power. The Vulgate and LXX. render כִּי respectively by quia and γὰρ. Go, humble thyself; i.e. present thyself as a suppliant, prostrate thyself, offer thyself to be trodden upon (Michaelis), or humble thyself like to the threshold which is trampled and trode upon (Rashi). or humble thyself under the soles of his feet (Aben Ezra). The expression implies the spirit of entire submission, in which the surety is to approach his friend in order to be released from his responsibility. The Hebrew verb hith'rappes has, however, been rendered differently. Radically raphas signifies "to tread or trample with the feet," and this has been taken to express haste, or the bestirring of one's self. So the Vulgate reads festina, "hasten;" and the LXX. ἴσθι μὴ ἐκλυόμενος, i.e. "be not remiss." But the hithp, clearly determines in favour of the reflexive rendering; comp. Psalm 68:30, "Till every one submit himself with pieces of silver" - the only other passage where raphas occurs. And make sure thy friend (Hebrew, r'hav reeyka); rather, importune thy friend, be urgent with him, press upon him to fulfil his engagement. The verb rahav is properly "to be fierce," "to rage," and hence with the accusative, as here, "to assail with impetuosity." In Isaiah 3:5 it is used with בְּ (b), and signifies to act fiercely against any one. The meaning of the passage is that if abject submission or persuasion does not avail, then sterner measures are to be resorted to to gain the desired end.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
then
אֵפ֪וֹא ׀ (’ê·p̄ō·w)
Conjunction
Strong's 645: Here, now, then

do
עֲשֵׂ֨ה (‘ă·śêh)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

this,
זֹ֥את (zōṯ)
Pronoun - feminine singular
Strong's 2063: Hereby in it, likewise, the one other, same, she, so much, such deed, that,

my son,
בְּנִ֡י (bə·nî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 1121: A son

to free yourself,
וְֽהִנָּצֵ֗ל (wə·hin·nā·ṣêl)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 5337: To strip, plunder, deliver oneself, be delivered, snatch away, deliver

for
כִּ֘י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

you have fallen
בָ֤אתָ (ḇā·ṯā)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

into your neighbor’s
רֵעֶ֑ךָ (rê·‘e·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 7453: Friend, companion, fellow

hands:
בְכַף־ (ḇə·ḵap̄-)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 3709: Hollow or flat of the hand, palm, sole (of the foot), a pan

Go,
לֵ֥ךְ (lêḵ)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

humble yourself,
הִ֝תְרַפֵּ֗ס (hiṯ·rap·pês)
Verb - Hitpael - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 7511: To trample, prostrate

and press your plea
וּרְהַ֥ב (ū·rə·haḇ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 7292: To urge severely, importune, embolden, capture, act insolently

with your neighbor.
רֵעֶֽיךָ׃ (rê·‘e·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 7453: Friend, companion, fellow


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 6:3 Do this now my son and deliver (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 6:2
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