1 My son! if thou hast been surety for thy friend, Hast stricken for a stranger thy hand, 2 Hast been snared with sayings of thy mouth, Hast been captured with sayings of thy mouth, 3 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, 4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, And slumber to thine eyelids, 5 Be delivered as a roe from the hand, And as a bird from the hand of a fowler. 6 Go unto the ant, O slothful one, See her ways and be wise; 7 Which hath not captain, overseer, and ruler, 8 She doth prepare in summer her bread, She hath gathered in harvest her food. 9 Till when, O slothful one, dost thou lie? When dost thou arise from thy sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber, A little clasping of the hands to rest, 11 And thy poverty hath come as a traveller, And thy want as an armed man. 12 A man of worthlessness, a man of iniquity, Walking [with] perverseness of mouth, 13 Winking with his eyes, speaking with his feet, Directing with his fingers, 14 Frowardness [is] in his heart, devising evil at all times, Contentions he sendeth forth. 15 Therefore suddenly cometh his calamity, Instantly he is broken — and no healing. 16 These six hath Jehovah hated, Yea, seven [are] abominations to His soul. 17 Eyes high — tongues false — And hands shedding innocent blood — 18 A heart devising thoughts of vanity — Feet hasting to run to evil — 19 A false witness [who] doth breathe out lies — And one sending forth contentions between brethren. 20 Keep, my son, the command of thy father, And leave not the law of thy mother. 21 Bind them on thy heart continually, Tie them on thy neck. 22 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. 23 For a lamp [is] the command, And the law a light, And a way of life [are] reproofs of instruction, 24 To preserve thee from an evil woman, From the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. 25 Desire not her beauty in thy heart, And let her not take thee with her eyelids. 26 For a harlot consumeth unto a cake of bread, And an adulteress the precious soul hunteth. 27 Doth a man take fire into his bosom, And are his garments not burnt? 28 Doth a man walk on the hot coals, And are his feet not scorched? 29 So [is] he who hath gone in unto the wife of his neighbour, None who doth touch her is innocent. 30 They do not despise the thief, When he stealeth to fill his soul when he is hungry, 31 And being found he repayeth sevenfold, All the substance of his house he giveth. 32 He who committeth adultery [with] a woman lacketh heart, He is destroying his soul who doth it. 33 A stroke and shame he doth find, And his reproach is not wiped away, 34 For jealousy [is] the fury of a man, And he doth not spare in a day of vengeance. 35 He accepteth not the appearance of any atonement, Yea, he doth not consent, Though thou dost multiply bribes!
Proverbs · Young's Literal Translation
Proverbs 6 Young's Literal Translation
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Cross references (33)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Proverbs 22:26; Proverbs 17:18; Proverbs 20:16; Proverbs 11:15; Genesis 43:9
- 2 Proverbs 18:7; Proverbs 12:13
- 3 James 4:10; 2 Samuel 24:14; Psalm 31:8; Exodus 10:3; 2 Chronicles 12:5
- 4 Psalm 132:4; Proverbs 6:10–11; Mark 13:35–36; Ecclesiastes 9:10; Matthew 24:17–18
- 5 Psalm 91:3; Psalm 124:7; Proverbs 1:17
- 6 Proverbs 20:4; Proverbs 18:9; Proverbs 13:4; Proverbs 6:9; Hebrews 6:12
- 7 Job 38:39–39:12; Proverbs 30:27; Job 39:26–30; Job 41:4–34
- 8 Proverbs 10:5; 1 Timothy 6:19; Proverbs 30:25
- 9 Proverbs 24:33–34; Psalm 94:8; Jeremiah 4:14; Ephesians 5:14; Proverbs 1:22
- 10 Proverbs 24:33–34; Proverbs 6:6; Proverbs 23:33–34
- 11 Proverbs 13:4; Proverbs 20:4; Proverbs 10:4; Proverbs 24:34
- 12 Matthew 12:34; Proverbs 16:27; Proverbs 4:24; 1 Timothy 5:13; Psalm 52:2–4
- 13 Psalm 35:19; Job 15:12; Proverbs 10:10; Proverbs 5:6
- 14 Micah 2:1; Romans 16:17; Hosea 8:7; Proverbs 6:18–19; Proverbs 26:17–22
- 15 2 Chronicles 36:16; Jeremiah 19:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:3; Proverbs 1:27; Isaiah 30:13–14
- 16 Psalm 11:5; Proverbs 8:13; Proverbs 11:20; Proverbs 17:15; Deuteronomy 25:16
- 17 Psalm 120:2–3; Proverbs 12:22; Isaiah 1:15; Psalm 101:5; Psalm 5:6
- 18 Genesis 6:5; Proverbs 1:16; Jeremiah 4:14; Psalm 36:4; Romans 3:15
- 19 Proverbs 19:5; Proverbs 6:14; James 3:18; Psalm 27:12; Proverbs 19:9
- 20 Ephesians 6:1; Deuteronomy 27:16; Proverbs 7:1–4; Proverbs 1:8–9; Proverbs 23:22
- 21 Proverbs 3:3; Proverbs 7:3–4; 2 Corinthians 3:3; Deuteronomy 6:8; Exodus 13:16
- 22 Psalm 119:11; Proverbs 3:23–24; Proverbs 2:11; Psalm 119:24; Psalm 119:97
- 23 Psalm 119:105; 2 Peter 1:19; Psalm 19:8; Proverbs 15:31; Proverbs 4:13
- 24 Proverbs 2:16; Proverbs 7:5; Ecclesiastes 7:26; Proverbs 5:3
- 25 James 1:14–15; Matthew 5:28; 2 Kings 9:30; 2 Samuel 11:2–5; Song of Songs 4:9
- 26 Luke 15:30; Proverbs 29:3; Genesis 39:14; 1 Samuel 2:36; Ezekiel 13:18
- 27 Job 31:9–12; James 3:5; Hosea 7:4–7
- 29 1 Corinthians 7:1; Leviticus 20:10; 2 Samuel 12:9–10; Ezekiel 22:11; Malachi 3:5
- 31 Luke 19:8; Job 20:18; 2 Samuel 12:6; Exodus 22:1–4; Matthew 18:25
- 32 Proverbs 7:7; Hebrews 13:4; Proverbs 7:22–23; Romans 1:22–24; Proverbs 2:18–19
- 33 Proverbs 5:9–11; 1 Kings 15:5; Psalm 38:1–8; Nehemiah 13:26; Matthew 1:6
- 34 Numbers 5:14; Proverbs 27:4; Song of Songs 8:6; 1 Corinthians 10:22; Numbers 25:11
- 35 Proverbs 8:25; 2 Kings 5:1; Malachi 2:9; Isaiah 2:9; Proverbs 4:3
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
… minds of the Romans, demanded for her service their best citizen, not to ripen him still more in virtue by her helpful counsel, but to entangle him by her deceit, like her of whom it is written, "The adulteress will hunt for the precious soul." Her intent was to puff up this high- souled man by an apparently divine testimony …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
For ye know how great a thing jealousy is: and therefore He said, to whom these things are clearly known, "For full of jealousy is the rage of a husband;" "he will not spare in the day of vengeance:" and "jealousy is cruel as the grave." And we too know of many that have chosen to give up their lives …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
If however any one thinks that he is not being burned when sinning, to him the Scripture saith, Shall a man wrap up fire in his bosom, and not burn his clothes?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
Be therefore prudent, copy the ant, as saith the Scripture: "Store in summer, lest thou hunger in winter;" the winter is the last day, the day of tribulation; the winter is the day of offences and of bitterness: gather what may be there for thee for the future: but if thou doest not so, thou wilt perish both imprudent and …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)
… send unto Kedar, and know if nations will change their gods; which yet are no gods." And to the brutes likewise He sends us oftentimes, saying on this wise, "Go to the ant, thou sluggard, and emulate her ways:" and "go forth to the bee." This therefore I also now say unto you; consider the philosophers of the Greeks; and …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)