1
My son, if you have become surety for your neighbor,
and have given your pledge to another;
2
if you are snared by the words of your mouth,
caught by the words of your mouth,
3
do this, my son, and deliver yourself,
for you have come into the hand of your neighbor:
go, humble yourself, and urge your neighbor;
4
do not give sleep to your eyes,
or slumber to your eyelids;
5
deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hunter’s snare,
like a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6
Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider her ways, and be wise:
7
though she has no chief,
no overseer or ruler,
8
she prepares her bread in summer,
and gathers her food at harvest.
9
How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?
10
“A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to lie down” —
11
then poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man.
12
A worthless person, a wicked man,
is one who walks with a crooked mouth,
13
who winks with his eyes,
who shuffles his feet and points with his fingers,
14
who has perversity in his heart, who is always devising evil,
and who stirs up strife.
15
Therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly;
in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.
16
There are six things that the LORD hates,
yes, seven that are an abomination to his heart:
17
haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
18
a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that are swift in running to evil,
19
a false witness who pours out lies
and one who stirs up strife among brothers.
20
My son, keep your father’s commandment,
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
21
Bind them continually upon your heart;
wear them around your neck.
22
When you walk, it will lead you;
when you lie down, it will watch over you;
when you awake, it will speak with you.
23
For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching is a light,
and reproofs of discipline are the way of life,
24
to keep you from the evil woman,
from the smooth tongue of the foreign woman.
25
Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
do not let her eyelashes entice you.
26
For a prostitute may be bought for a loaf of bread,
but another man’s wife hunts for a precious life.
27
Can a man carry fire in his bosom
without his clothes being burned?
28
Or can a man walk on hot coals,
without his feet being scorched?
29
So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
none who touches her will go unpunished.
30
A thief is not despised, if he steals
to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry.
31
But if he is caught, he must restore sevenfold;
he must give up all the substance of his house.
32
He who commits adultery lacks understanding;
the one who does it destroys himself.
33
Wounds and disgrace he will get,
and his shame will not be wiped away.
34
For jealousy is a man’s fury,
he will show no mercy in the day of vengeance;
35
he will not accept any ransom,
and he will not be satisfied, though you offer many gifts.
📉😴🔥 Summary of Proverbs 6 – Debt, Laziness, Lies, and a Warning about Adultery
Proverbs 6 is a collection of practical and spiritual warnings. Solomon advises caution regarding reckless debt, laziness, lying speech, and especially sexual temptation. God hates things that destroy justice and relationships, and the unwise will be caught in moral and financial ruin.
📌 1. Be Careful with Debt Guarantees (verses 1–5)
“If you have become surety for your neighbor…”
- Do not rashly guarantee another person’s debt
- Quickly free yourself if you are already bound
- Solomon advises: run like a deer from the hunter!
🎯 Reckless debt and surety are a road to financial bondage.
📌 2. Learn from the Ant, Do Not Be Lazy (verses 6–11)
“Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider her ways…”
- The ant:
– Needs no overseer
– Stores up provision
– Works without being told - The sluggard will find:
– Poverty comes “like a robber”
🎯 Laziness is a silent thief that ruins the future.
📌 3. Seven Things the LORD Hates (verses 12–19)
“There are six things the LORD hates, yes, seven…”
- Proud eyes
- A lying tongue
- Hands that shed blood
- A heart that devises evil
- Feet that are quick to run to evil
- A false witness
- One who sows strife
🎯 The Lord not only hates evil, but also the character that stirs up the ruin of relationships and community.
📌 4. The Word as Protection (verses 20–23)
“Keep your father’s command… it is a lamp, a light, and a way of life.”
- Parental teaching:
– Bound in the heart
– Remembered in every step - The word is a lamp that:
– Teaches
– Brings to mind
– Leads out of danger
🎯 The truth of the word is a navigation for life — not merely knowledge.
📌 5. Beware of Sexual Temptation (verses 24–35)
“Do not desire her beauty in your heart…”
- A stern warning against:
– The allure of another man’s wife
– The danger of adultery - The result:
– Burned by the fire of desire
– Self-respect destroyed
– A husband’s revenge — beyond ransom
🎯 Sexual sin is not only wrong — it brings lasting ruin.
📖 Main Teaching
- Do not be rash in financial matters and surety
- Laziness is a spiritual and practical danger
- The Lord hates destructive character
- God’s word must dwell in the heart, not only on the lips
- Sexual sin brings deep ruin and shame
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
“Do not owe anything to anyone…”
→ Reinforces the principle of living without unwise financial burdens.
“Warn those who are disorderly, encourage the fainthearted…”
→ Laziness and disorder are signs of spiritual immaturity.
“The tongue is a fire…”
→ A rebuke of the lying tongue and sowing division.
“Everyone who looks at a woman and desires her…”
→ Sexual sin begins in the heart and the eyes.
🎯 Proverbs 6 warns: wise living is not only about the spiritual, but also the practical — work, money, and the heart must be ordered according to God’s will.
🕊️ “Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand…” – Proverbs 6:5
🕊️ “You sluggard, go to the ant…” – Proverbs 6:6
🕊️ “There are six things the LORD hates…” – Proverbs 6:16
🕊️ “Keep your father’s command…” – Proverbs 6:20
🕊️ “Can fire be carried in the bosom without burning one’s clothes?” – Proverbs 6:27
