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My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,
Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.
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.
Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.
Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;
Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.
These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.
When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.
For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life.
Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?
Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?
So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.
Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;
But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.
But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.
A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.
For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
He will not regard ° any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.

New Defender's Study Bible Notes

6:1 surety for thy friend. Here is a strong Biblical warning against agreeing to be responsible for another person’s debts. If such a person really needs and deserves help, it is better (even for that person) to give him the money needed, or to lend it (without interest) than to encourage greed and irresponsibility on his part by assuming his debts.


6:6 the ant. Note Job 12:7-10. Whatever may have been God’s overall purpose in creating all the different animals, many of them—perhaps all, if we can learn enough about them— can be used to illustrate important spiritual truths, as in the industrious example of the ant.


6:16 seven are an abomination. The seven sins that are an “abomination” to God (the word is probably the strongest in the Hebrew language to express disgust and hatred) are all sins of the mind and tongue, with the exception of murder.


6:23 the law is light. See note on Proverbs 4:18.


6:32 whoso commiteth adultery. In God’s sight, the sin of adultery is worse than the crime of stealing (Proverbs 6:30-35).


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