Lectionary Calendar
Monday, July 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Bible in Basic English

Proverbs 6:3

Do this, my son, and make yourself free, because you have come into the power of your neighbour; go without waiting, and make a strong request to your neighbour.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Surety (Guarantee);   Young Men;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Lending;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Friend, Friendship;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Surety;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Israel, History of;   Proverbs, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Sign;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Proverbs book of;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Sure;   Surety;   Wisdom;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Contract;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Do 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.
Hebrew Names Version
Do this now, my son, and deliver yourself, Seeing you have come into the hand of your neighbor. Go, humble yourself. Press your plea with your neighbor.
King James Version
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.
English Standard Version
then 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.
New Century Version
My child, if you have done this and are under your neighbor's control, here is how to get free. Don't be proud. Go to your neighbor and beg to be free from your promise.
New English Translation
then, my child, do this in order to deliver yourself, because you have fallen into your neighbor's power: go, humble yourself, and appeal firmly to your neighbor.
Amplified Bible
Do this now, my son, and release yourself [from the obligation]; Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor, Go humble yourself, and plead with your neighbor [to pay his debt and release you].
New American Standard Bible
Then 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.
World English Bible
Do this now, my son, and deliver yourself, Seeing you have come into the hand of your neighbor. Go, humble yourself. Press your plea with your neighbor.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Doe this nowe, my sonne, and deliuer thy selfe: seeing thou art come into the hande of thy neighbour, goe, and humble thy selfe, and sollicite thy friends.
Legacy Standard Bible
Do this then, my son, and deliver yourself;Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor,Go, humble yourself, and badger your neighbor.
Berean Standard Bible
then do this, my son, to free yourself, for you have fallen into your neighbor's hands: Go, humble yourself, and press your plea with your neighbor.
Contemporary English Version
and you are now in the power of someone else. Here is what you should do: Go and beg for permission to call off the agreement.
Complete Jewish Bible
Do this now, my son, and extricate yourself, since you put yourself in your friend's power: go, humble yourself, and pester your friend;
Darby Translation
Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, since thou hast come into the hand of thy friend: go, humble thyself, and be urgent with thy friend.
Easy-to-Read Version
You will be under the power of other people, so you must go and free yourself. Beg them to free you from that debt.
George Lamsa Translation
Do this now, my son, and deliver yourself because, for the sake of your friend, you have fallen into the hands of your enemies; go, therefore, and stir up your friend for whom you have become surety to meet his obligation.
Good News Translation
Lexham English Bible
do this, then, my child, and save yourself, for you have come into the palm of your neighbor's hand: Go, humble yourself, plead with your neighbor.
Literal Translation
My son, do this then, and deliver yourself when you come into the hand of your friend: go lower yourself and be bold to your friend.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Therfore (my sonne) do this, discharge thy self, for thou art come i to yi neghbours daunger. Go thy waye then soone, & intreate thy neghboure:
American Standard Version
Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, Seeing thou art come into the hand of thy neighbor: Go, humble thyself, and importune thy neighbor;
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, seeing thou art come into the hand of thy neighbour;
King James Version (1611)
Doe this now, my sonne, and deliuer thy selfe, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend: goe, humble thy selfe, and make sure thy friend.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Therfore my sonne do this, and thou shalt be discharged: When thou art come into thy neyghbours daunger, go thy wayes then soone, humble thy selfe, and with thy frendes intreate [thy creditour.]
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
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.
English Revised Version
Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, seeing thou art come into the hand of thy neighbour; go, humble thyself, and importune thy neighbour.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor, my sone, do thou that that Y seie, and delyuere thi silf; for thou hast fallun in to the hond of thi neiybore. Renne thou aboute, haste thou, reise thi freend;
Update Bible Version
Do this now, my son, and deliver yourself, Seeing you have come into the hand of your neighbor: Go, humble yourself, and importune your neighbor;
Webster's Bible Translation
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.
New King James Version
So do this, my son, and deliver yourself; For you have come into the hand of your friend: Go and humble yourself; Plead with your friend.
New Living Translation
follow my advice and save yourself, for you have placed yourself at your friend's mercy. Now swallow your pride; go and beg to have your name erased.
New Life Bible
Do this now, my son, and get yourself out of trouble, for you have come into the hand of your neighbor. Go without pride and beg your neighbor to let you go.
New Revised Standard
So do this, my child, and save yourself, for you have come into your neighbor's power: go, hurry, and plead with your neighbor.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Do this then, my son, and deliver thyself, When thou hast come into the hand of thy neighbour, Go, haste thee, and urge thy neighbour;
Douay-Rheims Bible
Do, therefore, my son, what I say, and deliver thyself: because thou art fallen into the hand of thy neighbour. Run about, make haste, stir up thy friend:
Revised Standard Version
then do this, my son, and save yourself, for you have come into your neighbor's power: go, hasten, and importune your neighbor.
Young's Literal Translation
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,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Do this then, my son, and deliver yourself; Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor, Go, humble yourself, and importune your neighbor.

Contextual Overview

1 My son, if you have made yourself responsible for your neighbour, or given your word for another, 2 You are taken as in a net by the words of your mouth, the sayings of your lips have overcome you. 3 Do this, my son, and make yourself free, because you have come into the power of your neighbour; go without waiting, and make a strong request to your neighbour. 4 Give no sleep to your eyes, or rest to them; 5 Make yourself free, like the roe from the hand of the archer, and the bird from him who puts a net for her.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

when: 2 Samuel 24:14, 2 Chronicles 12:5, Psalms 31:8

go: Exodus 10:3, 2 Chronicles 36:12, James 4:10

and make sure thy friend: or, so shalt thou prevail with they friend

Reciprocal: Genesis 32:4 - my lord Genesis 33:3 - bowed

Cross-References

Genesis 6:1
And after a time, when men were increasing on the earth, and had daughters,
Genesis 6:13
And God said to Noah, The end of all flesh has come; the earth is full of their violent doings, and now I will put an end to them with the earth.
Genesis 6:14
Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood with rooms in it, and make it safe from the water inside and out.
Genesis 6:15
And this is the way you are to make it: it is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high.
Genesis 6:16
You are to put a window in the ark, a cubit from the roof, and a door in the side of it, and you are to make it with a lower and second and third floors.
Genesis 6:18
But with you I will make an agreement; and you will come into the ark, you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you.
Genesis 6:20
Two of every sort of bird and cattle and of every sort of living thing which goes on the earth will you take with you to keep them from destruction.
Numbers 11:17
And I will come down and have talk with you there: and I will take some of the spirit which is on you and put it on them, and they will take part of the weight of the people off you, so that you do not have to take it by yourself.
Nehemiah 9:30
Year after year you put up with them, and gave witness against them by your spirit through your prophets: still they did not give ear: and so you gave them up into the hands of the peoples of the lands.
Psalms 78:39
So he kept in mind that they were only flesh; a breath which is quickly gone, and will not come again.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself,.... Take the following advice, as the best that can be given in such circumstances, in order to be freed from such an obligation, or to be safe and easy under it;

when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; or,

"because or seeing thou art fallen into the hand of thy friend,''

as the Targum; or

"though thou art,'' c.

as Aben Ezra which may be understood either of the creditor to whom a man is bound, or of the debtor for whom he is bound, or of both; for a surety is in the hands or power of both: he is in the hands of the creditor, who may demand payment of the debt of him; and he is in the hands of the debtor, who, if a careless or crafty and deceitful man, may leave him to the payment of it. The Septuagint and Arabic versions are,

"for thou art come into the hands of evil men for thy friend;''

and the Syriac version,

"seeing for thy friend thou art fallen into the hands of thine enemy;''

and therefore must make the best of it thou canst, and in the following way:

go, humble thyself; that is, to the creditor, prostrate thyself before him; lie down upon the ground to be trodden on, as the word d signifies; fall down on thine knees, and entreat him to discharge thee from the bond, or give longer time for payment, if up; for thou art in his hands, and there is no carrying it with a high hand or a haughty spirit to him; humility, and not haughtiness, is most likely to be serviceable in such a case;

and make sure thy friend; for whom thou art become a surety, as the Syriac and Arabic versions add; solicit him, as the former of these versions render it; stimulate him, as the Septuagint; stir him up, urge him to pay off the debt quickly, and discharge the bond, or give thee security and indemnity from it. Or, "magnify thy friend" e; that is, to the creditor; speak of him as a very able and responsible man, and as an honest and faithful one, that will pay in due time. Some render it "magnify", and speak well of the debtor to thy friend, which may please and appease him: or, "multiply thy friends" f; get as many as thou canst to intercede for thee, and get thee discharged from the obligation by some means or another; to this purpose Jarchi.

d התרפס "praebe conculcandum te", Montanus, Vatablus, Michaelis. e רהב רעיך "evehe proximum tuum", Tigurine version; "magnifica", so some in Vatablus. f "Multiplica amicos tuos", so some in Bayne.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Better, “Do this now, O my son, and free thyself when thou hast come into thy friend’s house; go, how thyself down (perhaps “stamp with thy foot,” or “hasten”), press hotly upon thy friend. By persuasion, and if need be, by threats, get back the bond which thou hast been entrapped into signing:” The “friend” is, as before, the companion, not the creditor.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Proverbs 6:3. Do this - deliver thyself — Continue to press him for whom thou art become surety, to pay his creditor; give him no rest till he do it, else thou mayest fully expect to be left to pay the debt.


 
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