Chapter
Verse

Proverbs chapter 6

English Standard Version

1My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, have given your pledge for a stranger, 2if you are snared in the words of your mouth, caught in the words of your mouth, 3then 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. 4Give your eyes no sleep and your eyelids no slumber; 5save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the hand of the fowler. 6Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. 7Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, 8she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. 9How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? 10A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, 11and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man. 12A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech, 13winks with his eyes, signals with his feet, points with his finger, 14with perverted heart devises evil, continually sowing discord; 15therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing. 16There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: 17haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, 19a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. 20My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching. 21Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck. 22When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you. 23For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life, 24to preserve you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress. 25Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes; 26for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread, but a married woman hunts down a precious life. 27Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? 28Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched? 29So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; none who touches her will go unpunished. 30People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry, 31but if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold; he will give all the goods of his house. 32He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself. 33He will get wounds and dishonor, and his disgrace will not be wiped away. 34For jealousy makes a man furious, and he will not spare when he takes revenge. 35He will accept no compensation; he will refuse though you multiply gifts.
New International Version

New American Standard Bible

1My son, if you have become a guarantor 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, 3Then 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. 4Give no sleep to your eyes, Nor slumber to your eyelids; 5Save yourself like a gazelle from the hunter’s hand, And like a bird from the hand of the fowler. 6Go to the ant, you lazy one, Observe its ways and be wise, 7Which, having no chief, Officer, or ruler, 8Prepares its food in the summer And gathers its provision in the harvest. 9How long will you lie down, you lazy one? When will you arise from your sleep? 10'A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest,' 11Then your poverty will come in like a drifter, And your need like an armed man. 12A worthless person, a wicked man, Is one who walks with a perverse mouth, 13Who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet, Who points with his fingers; 14Who, with perversion in his heart, continually devises evil, Who spreads strife. 15Therefore his disaster will come suddenly; Instantly he will be broken and there will be no healing. 16There are six things that the Lord hates, Seven that are an abomination to Him: 17Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, 18A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, 19A false witness who declares lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers. 20My son, comply with the commandment of your father, And do not ignore the teaching of your mother; 21Bind them continually on your heart; Tie them around your neck. 22When you walk, they will guide you; When you sleep, they will watch over you; And when you awake, they will talk to you. 23For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; And rebukes for discipline are the way of life 24To keep you from the evil woman, From the smooth tongue of the foreign woman. 25Do not desire her beauty in your heart, Nor let her capture you with her eyelids. 26For the price of a prostitute reduces one to a loaf of bread, And an adulteress hunts for a precious life. 27Can anyone take fire in his lap And his clothes not be burned? 28Or can a person walk on hot coals And his feet not be scorched? 29So is the one who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; Whoever touches her will not go unpunished. 30 People do not despise a thief if he steals To satisfy himself when he is hungry; 31But when he is found, he must repay seven times as much; He must give up all the property of his house. 32One who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense; He who would destroy himself commits it. 33He will find wounds and disgrace, And his shame will not be removed. 34For jealousy enrages a man, And he will not have compassion on the day of vengeance. 35He will not accept any settlement, Nor will he be satisfied though you make it a large gift.
Christian Standard Bible

1My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor or entered into an agreement with a stranger, 2you have been snared by the words of your mouth-- trapped by the words from your mouth. 3Do 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. 4Don't give sleep to your eyes or slumber to your eyelids. 5Escape like a gazelle from a hunter, like a bird from a hunter's trap. 6Go to the ant, you slacker! Observe its ways and become wise. 7Without leader, administrator, or ruler, 8it prepares its provisions in summer; it gathers its food during harvest. 9How long will you stay in bed, you slacker? When will you get up from your sleep? 10A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the arms to rest, 11and your poverty will come like a robber, your need, like a bandit. 12A worthless person, a wicked man goes around speaking dishonestly, 13winking his eyes, signaling with his feet, and gesturing with his fingers. 14He always plots evil with perversity in his heart; he stirs up trouble. 15Therefore calamity will strike him suddenly; he will be shattered instantly, beyond recovery. 16The Lord hates six things; in fact, seven are detestable to him: 17arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18a heart that plots wicked schemes, feet eager to run to evil, 19a lying witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up trouble among brothers. 20My son, keep your father's command, and don't reject your mother's teaching. 21Always bind them to your heart; tie them around your neck. 22When you walk here and there, they will guide you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; when you wake up, they will talk to you. 23For a command is a lamp, teaching is a light, and corrective discipline is the way to life. 24They will protect you from an evil woman, from the flattering tongue of a wayward woman. 25Don't lust in your heart for her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyelashes. 26For a prostitute's fee is only a loaf of bread, but the wife of another man goes after a precious life. 27Can a man embrace fire and his clothes not be burned? 28Can a man walk on burning coals without scorching his feet? 29So it is with the one who sleeps with another man's wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished. 30People don't despise the thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry. 31Still, if caught, he must pay seven times as much; he must give up all the wealth in his house. 32The one who commits adultery lacks sense; whoever does so destroys himself. 33He will get a beating and dishonor, and his disgrace will never be removed. 34For jealousy enrages a husband, and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge. 35He will not be appeased by anything or be persuaded by lavish bribes.
New Living Translation

King James Version

What does Proverbs chapter 6 mean?

Solomon continues to impart wise sayings to his "son," which might also mean his student or students.

The first of the wise lessons in this chapter relates to wisely caring for one's existing wealth. Solomon especially urges his son to avoid financial entanglements by not entering into a surety agreement. In rough terms, this means being extremely cautious about cosigning a loan. If he does cosign, and realizes he's gotten into a risky situation, he should try to get out of the deal even if doing so causes humiliation. While this does not prohibit all forms of debt or lending, this Scripture strongly advises being careful not to waste what has been earned (Proverbs 6:1–5).

Just as cosigning for an untrustworthy person might cause poverty, laziness is another way a person can become destitute. Solomon tells his son to consider the ant. Without supervision, it works hard to meet its needs both present and future. Unless a person works, poverty will overtake him as surely as a robber or an armed man overtakes his victim. Here, again, the general principles are seen in common sense. Wasted opportunities cannot be "made up" when times get hard (Proverbs 6:6–11).

The Bible points out that a wise person refuses to stir up strife. As with all proverbs, this is meant as general wisdom. In most circumstances, those who aggravate trouble are those most likely to suffer from it. Beyond that, God has particular distaste for certain sins associated with troublemakers. A "worthless person" is described as one who uses corrupt, deceptive speech and deceptive signals to sow discord. The list of God-hated attitudes includes arrogance, deceit, violence against the innocent, an evil heart, and lies. Summarizing these sins is the idea of someone who creates controversy or hatred among others (Proverbs 6:12–19).

Solomon counsels his son to abide by his parents' teaching. These lessons from experience will guide him and keep him from danger. As with other statements, this is a question of risk versus reward. Those who make good choices are not absolutely guaranteed a good outcome—evil and chance can still happen. Yet it's clearly true that those who follow wise paths are less likely to run into trouble than those who act stupidly (Proverbs 6:20–23).

One application of godly wisdom, both literal and symbolic, is safety from "the adulteress." While men are generally more susceptible to seduction than women, the general idea applies to everyone. Solomon warns his son to avoid falling prey to smooth talk, alluring beauty, and enticing glances. Solomon compares an illicit relationship to that of carrying fire next to the chest and to walking on hot coals. Both actions cause pain. An adulterer, Solomon says, is senseless and self-destructive. Society might have sympathy for a starving man who steals bread—but not for a man who violates his neighbor's wife. Adulterers risk suffering from revenge and shame (Proverbs 6:24–35).
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