Study Desk

My son, if you have become a guarantor for your neighbor, Or have given a handshake for a stranger,

My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,

If you have been ensnared by the words of your mouth, Or caught by the words of your mouth,

Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.

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.

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 no sleep to your eyes, Nor slumber to your eyelids;

Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.

Save yourself like a gazelle from the hunter's hand, And like a bird from the hand of the fowler.

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, you lazy one, Observe its ways and be wise,

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

Which, having no chief, Officer, or ruler,

Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,

Prepares its food in the summer And gathers its provision in the harvest.

Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

How long will you lie down, you lazy one? When will you arise from your sleep?

How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

"A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest,"

Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

Then your poverty will come in like a drifter, And your need like an armed man.

So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.

A worthless person, a wicked man, Is one who walks with a perverse mouth,

A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.

Who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet, Who points with his fingers;

He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;

Who, with perversion in his heart, continually devises evil, Who spreads strife.

Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.

Therefore his disaster will come suddenly; Instantly he will be broken and there will be no healing.

Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.

There are six things that the LORD hates, Seven that are an abomination to Him:

These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:

Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood,

A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil,

An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,

A false witness who declares lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.

A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

My son, comply with the commandment of your father, And do not ignore the teaching of your mother;

My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

Bind them continually on your heart; Tie them around your neck.

Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.

When you walk, they will guide you; When you sleep, they will watch over you; And when you awake, they will talk to you.

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 teaching is light; And rebukes for discipline are the way of life

For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

To keep you from the evil woman, From the smooth tongue of the foreign woman.

To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.

Do not desire her beauty in your heart, Nor let her capture you with her eyelids.

Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.

For the price of a prostitute reduces one to a loaf of bread, And an adulteress hunts for a precious life.

For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adultress will hunt for the precious life.

Can anyone take fire in his lap And his clothes not be burned?

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

Or can a person walk on hot coals And his feet not be scorched?

Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?

So is the one who goes in to his neighbor's wife; Whoever touches her will not go unpunished.

So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.

People do not despise a thief if he steals To satisfy himself when he is hungry;

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

But when he is found, he must repay seven times as much; He must give up all the property of his house.

But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.

One who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense; He who would destroy himself commits it.

But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.

He will find wounds and disgrace, And his shame will not be removed.

A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.

For jealousy enrages a man, And he will not have compassion on the day of vengeance.

For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

He will not accept any settlement, Nor will he be satisfied though you make it a large gift.

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