61 My son, if you have become collateral for your neighbor,
if you have struck your hands in pledge for a stranger; 2 You are trapped by the words of your mouth.
You are ensnared with the words of your mouth. 3 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. 4 Give no sleep to your eyes,
nor slumber to your eyelids. 5 Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
like a bird from the snare of the fowler.
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard.
Consider her ways, and be wise; 7 which having no chief, overseer, or ruler, 8 provides her bread in the summer,
and gathers her food in the harvest. 9 How long will you sleep, 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 your poverty will come as a robber,
and your scarcity as an armed man.
12 A worthless person, a man of iniquity,
is he who walks with a perverse mouth; 13 who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet,
who motions with his fingers; 14 in whose heart is perverseness,
who devises evil continually,
who always sows discord. 15 Therefore his calamity will come suddenly.
He will be broken suddenly, and that without remedy. 16 There are six things which Yahweh hates;
yes, seven which are an abomination to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood; 18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are swift in running to mischief, 19 a false witness who utters lies,
and he who sows discord among brothers.
20 My son, keep your father’s commandment,
and don’t forsake your mother’s teaching. 21 Bind them continually on your heart.
Tie them around your neck. 22 When you walk, it will lead you.
When you sleep, it will watch over you.
When you awake, it will talk with you. 23 For the commandment is a lamp,
and the law is light.
Reproofs of instruction are the way of life, 24 to keep you from the immoral woman,
from the flattery of the wayward wife’s tongue. 25 Don’t lust after her beauty in your heart,
neither let her captivate you with her eyelids. 26 For a prostitute reduces you to a piece of bread.
The adulteress hunts for your precious life. 27 Can a man scoop fire into his lap,
and his clothes not be burned? 28 Or can one walk on hot coals,
and his feet not be scorched? 29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife.
Whoever touches her will not be unpunished. 30 Men don’t despise a thief,
if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry: 31 but if he is found, he shall restore seven times.
He shall give all the wealth of his house. 32 He who commits adultery with a woman is void of understanding.
He who does it destroys his own soul. 33 He will get wounds and dishonor.
His reproach will not be wiped away. 34 For jealousy arouses the fury of the husband.
He won’t spare in the day of vengeance. 35 He won’t regard any ransom,
neither will he rest content, though you give many gifts.
71 My son, keep my words.
Lay up my commandments within you. 2 Keep my commandments and live!
Guard my teaching as the apple of your eye. 3 Bind them on your fingers.
Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Tell wisdom, “You are my sister.”
Call understanding your relative, 5 that they may keep you from the strange woman,
from the foreigner who flatters with her words.
6 For at the window of my house,
I looked out through my lattice. 7 I saw among the simple ones.
I discerned among the youths a young man void of understanding, 8 passing through the street near her corner,
he went the way to her house, 9 in the twilight, in the evening of the day,
in the middle of the night and in the darkness. 10 Behold, there a woman met him with the attire of a prostitute,
and with crafty intent. 11 She is loud and defiant.
Her feet don’t stay in her house. 12 Now she is in the streets, now in the squares,
and lurking at every corner. 13 So she caught him, and kissed him.
With an impudent face she said to him: 14 “Sacrifices of peace offerings are with me.
This day I have paid my vows. 15 Therefore I came out to meet you,
to diligently seek your face,
and I have found you. 16 I have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry,
with striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt. 17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. 18 Come, let’s take our fill of loving until the morning.
Let’s solace ourselves with loving. 19 For my husband isn’t at home.
He has gone on a long journey. 20 He has taken a bag of money with him.
He will come home at the full moon.” 21 With persuasive words, she led him astray.
With the flattering of her lips, she seduced him. 22 He followed her immediately,
as an ox goes to the slaughter,
as a fool stepping into a noose. 23 Until an arrow strikes through his liver,
as a bird hurries to the snare,
and doesn’t know that it will cost his life.
24 Now therefore, sons, listen to me.
Pay attention to the words of my mouth. 25 Don’t let your heart turn to her ways.
Don’t go astray in her paths, 26 for she has thrown down many wounded.
Yes, all her slain are a mighty army. 27 Her house is the way to Sheol,
going down to the chambers of death.
21 But I determined this for myself, that I would not come to you again in sorrow. 2 For if I make you sorry, then who will make me glad but he who is made sorry by me? 3 And I wrote this very thing to you, so that, when I came, I wouldn’t have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy would be shared by all of you. 4 For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears, not that you should be made sorry, but that you might know the love that I have so abundantly for you.
5 But if any has caused sorrow, he has caused sorrow, not to me, but in part (that I not press too heavily) to you all. 6 Sufficient to such a one is this punishment which was inflicted by the many; 7 so that on the contrary you should rather forgive him and comfort him, lest by any means such a one should be swallowed up with his excessive sorrow. 8 Therefore I beg you to confirm your love toward him. 9 For to this end I also wrote, that I might know the proof of you, whether you are obedient in all things. 10 Now I also forgive whomever you forgive anything. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, 11 that no advantage may be gained over us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.
12 Now when I came to Troas for the Good News of Christ, and when a door was opened to me in the Lord, 13 I had no relief for my spirit, because I didn’t find Titus, my brother, but taking my leave of them, I went out into Macedonia.
14 Now thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and reveals through us the sweet aroma of his knowledge in every place. 15 For we are a sweet aroma of Christ to God, in those who are saved, and in those who perish; 16 to the one a stench from death to death; to the other a sweet aroma from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not as so many, peddling the word of God. But as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, we speak in Christ.
