¹ My son, if you pledge for your friend, if you have shook your hand with a stranger, ² you are trapped with the words of your mouth, you are caught with the words of your mouth. ³ Do this now, my son, and save yourself, when you fall into the hand of your friend; go, humble yourself, and boldly plea with your friend. ⁴ Do not give sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids. ⁵ Deliver yourself as a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler. ⁶ Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise ⁷ Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, ⁸ Provide her food in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest. ⁹ How long will you sleep, O sluggard? When will you arise out of your sleep? ¹⁰ A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep ¹¹ So will your poverty come as a thief, and your needs as an armed man. ¹² A worthless person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth. ¹³ He winks with his eyes, he speaks with his feet, he teaches with his fingers; ¹⁴ Perversity is in his heart, he plots mischief continually; he sows discord . ¹⁵ Therefore his calamity will come suddenly, suddenly will he be broken without remedy. ¹⁶ These six things the LORD hates: yes, seven are an abomination to him ¹⁷ A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, ¹⁸ A heart that devises wicked imaginations, feet that are swift in running to mischief, ¹⁹ A false witness who speaks lies, and he who sows discord among brothers. ²⁰ My son, keep your father's commandment, and abandon not the law of your mother ²¹ Bind them continually on your heart, and tie them about your neck. ²² When you go, they will lead you; when you sleep, they will keep you; and when you awake, they will talk with you. ²³ For the commandment is a lamp and the law is light and corrections of instruction are the way of life ²⁴ To keep you from the evil woman, from flattery of the words of a strange woman. ²⁵ Do not lust after her beauty in your heart or let her capture you with her eyelids. ²⁶ For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for precious life. ²⁷ Can a man take fire in his chest, and his clothes not be burned? ²⁸ Can one go on hot coals, and his feet not be burned? ²⁹ So he who goes in to his neighbour's wife whoever touches her will not be innocent. ³⁰ Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; ³¹ But if he be found, he will restore sevenfold; he will give all the wealth of his house. ³² But whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding: he who does it destroys his own soul. ³³ A wound and dishonour he will receive and his rebuke will not be wiped away. ³⁴ For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. ³⁵ He will not regard any ransom; or will he yield, even though you give many gifts.