1  My son, attend unto my wisdom; incline thine ear to my understanding;

1  My son, pay attention to my wisdom, and incline your ear to my prudence,

2  That thou mayest preserve discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.

2  that thou mayest keep good understanding, and the discretion of my lips gives thee a charge. Give no heed to a worthless woman;

2  so that you may guard your thinking, and so that your lips may preserve discipline. Do not pay attention to the deceit of a woman.

3  For the lips of a strange woman drop honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil;

3  for honey drops from the lips of a harlot, who for a season pleases thy palate

4  But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.

4  but afterwards thou wilt find her more bitter than gall, and sharper than a two-edged sword.

4  But in the end, she is as bitter as wormwood, and as sharp as a two-edged sword.

5  Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on the nether-world;

5  For the feet of folly lead those who deal with her down to the grave with death; and her steps are not established.

5  Her feet descend into death, and her steps reach even to Hell.

6  Lest she should walk the even path of life, her ways wander, but she knoweth it not.

6  For she goes not upon the paths of life; but her ways are slippery, and not easily known.

6  They do not walk along the path of life; her steps are wandering and untraceable.

7  Now therefore, O ye children, hearken unto me, and depart not from the words of my mouth.

7  Now then, my son, hear me, and make not my words of none effect.

7  Therefore, my son, listen to me now, and do not withdraw from the words of my mouth.

8  Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house;

8  Make your way at a distance from her, and do not approach the doors of her house.

9  Lest thou give thy vigour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel;

9  Do not give your honor to foreigners, and your years to the cruel.

10  Lest strangers be filled with thy strength, and thy labours be in the house of an alien;

10  Otherwise, outsiders may be filled with your strength, and your labors may be in a foreign house,

11  And thou moan, when thine end cometh, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,

11  and you may mourn in the end, when you will have consumed your flesh and your body. And so you may say

11  And you have remorse in your old age, when the flesh of your body is consumed,

12  And say: 'How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;

12  and thou shalt say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart avoided reproofs!

12  “Why have I detested discipline, and why has my heart not been quieted by correction?

13  Neither have I hearkened to the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!

13  I heard not the voice of him that instructed me, and taught me, neither did I apply mine ear.

13  And why have I not listened to the voice of those who guided me? And why has my ear not inclined to my teachers?

14  I was well nigh in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.'

14  I have almost been with all evil in the midst of the church and of the assembly.”

15  Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.

15  Drink water from your own cistern and from the springs of your own well.

16  Let thy springs be dispersed abroad, and courses of water in the streets.

16  Let not waters out of thy fountain be spilt by thee, but let thy waters go into thy streets.

16  Let your water overflow into your streets, let it be disbursed abroad.

17  Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee.

17  Hold them for yourself alone, and do not let strangers be partakers with you.

17  Let it be for yourself alone, let not strangers be partners with you.

18  Let thy fountain be blessed; and have joy of the wife of thy youth.

18  Let your spring be blessed, and rejoice with the wife of your youth

19  A lovely hind and a graceful doe, let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; with her love be thou ravished always.

19  Let thy loving hart and thy graceful colt company with thee, and let her be considered thine own, and be with thee at all times; for ravished with her love thou shalt be greatly increased.

20  Why then wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of an alien?

21  For the ways of man are before the eyes of YHWH, and He maketh even all his paths.

21  The Lord beholds the ways of man, and he considers all his steps.

22  His own iniquities shall ensnare the wicked, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sin.

22  Iniquities ensnare a man, and every one is bound in the chains of his own sins.

22  The wicked shall be caught by his own iniquities, and he will be bound with the cords of his sins.

23  He shall die for lack of instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall reel.

23  Such a man dies with the uninstructed; and he is cast forth from the abundance of his own substance, and has perished through folly.

23  He shall die, for he has not held to discipline. And by the multitude of his foolishness, he shall be deceived.

6:1  My son, if thou art become surety for thy neighbour, if thou hast struck thy hands for a stranger--

1  My son, if thou become surety for thy friend, thou shalt deliver thine hand to an enemy.

1  My son, if you have taken a pledge on behalf of your friend, then you have bound your hand to an outsider,

6:2  Thou art snared by the words of thy mouth, thou art caught by the words of thy mouth--

2  For a man’s own lips become a strong snare to him, and he is caught with the lips of his own mouth.

2  then you are ensnared by the words of your own mouth, and taken captive by your own words.

6:3  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.

3  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.

3  Therefore, my son, do what I say, and free yourself, for you have fallen into the hand of your neighbor. Run, hurry, awaken your friend.

6:4  Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.

4  Do not grant sleep to your eyes, nor let your eyelids slumber.

4  You shall not give sleep to your eyes nor slumber to your eyelids.

6:5  Deliver thyself as a gazelle from the hand of the hunter , and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

5  that thou mayest deliver thyself as a doe out of the toils, and as a bird out of a snare.

6:6  Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise;

6  Be like the ant, consider her ways, and be wise;

6:7  Which having no chief, overseer, or ruler,

7  For whereas he has no husbandry, nor any one to compel him, and is under no master,

6:8  Provideth her bread in the summer, and gatherest her food in the harvest.

8  he prepares food for himself in the summer, and lays by abundant store in harvest. Or go to the bee, and learn how diligent she is, and how earnestly she is engaged in her work; whose labours kings and private men use for health, and she is desired and respected by all: though weak in body, she is advanced by honouring wisdom.

8  she provides meals for herself in the summer, and she gathers at the harvest what she may eat.

6:9  How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

6:10  'Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep'--

10  Thou sleepest a little, and thou restest a little, and thou slumberest a short time, and thou foldest thine arms over thy breast a little.

10  You will sleep a little, you will slumber a little, you will fold your hands a little to sleep,

6:11  So shall thy poverty come as a runner, and thy want as an armed man.

11  Then poverty comes upon thee as an evil traveller, and want as a swift courier: but if thou be diligent, thine harvest shall arrive as a fountain, and poverty shall flee away as a bad courier.

11  And then poverty shall come upon you, and distress shall overtake you; become a successful man.

6:12  A base person, a man of iniquity, is he that walketh with a froward mouth;

12  A foolish man and a transgressor goes in ways that are not good.

12  A fool, a wicked man, is unscrupulous.

6:13  That winketh with his eyes, that scrapeth with his feet, that pointeth with his fingers;

13  And the same winks with the eye, and makes a sign with his foot, and teaches with the beckonings of his fingers.

13  he winks with the eyes, touches with the foot, speaks with the finger.

6:14  Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth evil continually; he soweth discord.

14  His perverse heart devises evils: at all times such a one causes troubles to a city.

14  With a depraved heart he devises evil, and at all times he sows conflict.

6:15  Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; on a sudden shall he be broken, and that without remedy.

15  Therefore his destruction shall come suddenly; overthrow and irretrievable ruin.

15  To this one, his perdition will arrive promptly, and he shall be crushed suddenly: he will no longer have any remedy.

6:16  There are six things which YHWH hateth, yea, seven which are an abomination unto Him

16  For he rejoices in all things which God hates, and he is ruined by reason of impurity of soul.

16  Six things there are that the Lord hates, and the seventh, his soul detests

6:17  Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood;

17  The eye of the haughty, a tongue unjust, hands shedding the blood of the just;

6:18  A heart that deviseth wicked thoughts, feet that are swift in running to evil;

18  and a heart devising evil thoughts, and feet hastening to do evil, —are hateful to God.

6:19  A false witness that breatheth out lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

19  An unjust witness kindles falsehoods, and brings on quarrels between brethren.

19  a deceitful witness bringing forth lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.

6:20  My son, keep the commandment of thy father, and forsake not the teaching of thy mother;

20  My son, preserve the precepts of your father, and do not dismiss the law of your mother.

6:21  Bind them continually upon thy heart, tie them about thy neck.

21  but bind them upon thy soul continually, and hang them as a chain about thy neck.

21  Impress them firmly on your heart and tie them about your neck.

6:22  When thou walkest, it shall lead thee, when thou liest down, it shall watch over thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.

22  Whensoever thou walkest, lead this along and let it be with thee; that it may talk with thee when thou wakest.

22  When you walk, let them keep step with you. When you sleep, let them guard you. And when you keep watch, speak with them.

6:23  For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching is light, and reproofs of instruction are the way of life;

23  For commandment is a lamp, and law is a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life.

6:24  To keep thee from the evil woman, from the smoothness of the alien tongue.

24  So may they guard you from an evil woman, and from the flattering tongue of the outsider.

6:25  Lust not after her beauty in thy heart; neither let her captivate thee with her eyelids.

25  Let not the desire of beauty overcome thee, neither be thou caught by thine eyes, neither be captivated with her eyelids.

25  Let not your heart desire her beauty; do not be captivated by her winks.

6:26  For on account of a harlot a man is brought to a loaf of bread, but the adulteress hunteth for the precious life.

26  For the value of a harlot is as much as of one loaf; and a woman hunts for the precious souls of men.

26  For the price of a prostitute is only one loaf. Yet the woman seizes the precious soul of a man.

6:27  Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?

27  Shall any one bind fire in his bosom, and not burn his garments?

27  Would a man be able to conceal fire in his bosom, so that his garments would not burn?

6:28  Or can one walk upon hot coals, and his feet not be scorched?

28  or will any one walk on coals of fire, and not burn his feet?

28  Or could he walk over burning coals, so that his feet would not be burned?

6:29  So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not go unpunished.

29  So is he that goes in to a married woman; he shall not be held guiltless, neither any one that touches her.

29  So also, he who enters to the wife of his neighbor shall not be clean when he touches her.

6:30  Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;

30  It is not to be wondered at if one should be taken stealing, for he steals that when hungry he may satisfy his soul

6:31  But if he be found, he must restore sevenfold, he must give all the substance of his house.

31  but if he should be taken, he shall repay sevenfold, and shall deliver himself by giving all his goods.

31  Also, if he is apprehended, he shall repay sevenfold and hand over all the substance of his house.

6:32  He that committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding; he doeth it that would destroy his own soul.

32  But the adulterer through want of sense procures destruction to his soul.

32  But whoever is an adulterer, because of the emptiness of his heart, will destroy his own soul.

6:33  Wounds and dishonour shall he get, and his reproach shall not be wiped away.

33  And he who does it brings dishonor upon himself; and his reproach shall not be wiped out.

6:34  For jealousy is the rage of a man, and he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

34  For the soul of her husband is full of jealousy: he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

34  For the jealousy and fury of the husband will not spare him on the day of vindication,

6:35  He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.

35  He will not forego his enmity for any ransom: neither will he be reconciled for many gifts.

35  nor will he agree to the pleadings of anyone, nor will he accept, as repayment, a multitude of gifts.