- 1
- My sonne, if thou be surety for thy neighbour, and hast striken hands with the stranger,
- 2
- Thou art snared with the wordes of thy mouth: thou art euen taken with the woordes of thine owne mouth.
- 3
- 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.
- 4
- Giue no sleepe to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.
- 5
- Deliuer thy selfe as a doe from the hande of the hunter, and as a birde from the hande of the fouler.
- 6
- Goe to the pismire, O sluggarde: beholde her waies, and be wise.
- 7
- For shee hauing no guide, gouernour, nor ruler,
- 8
- Prepareth her meat in the sommer, & gathereth her foode in haruest.
- 9
- Howe long wilt thou sleepe, O sluggarde?
when wilt thou arise out of thy sleepe?
- 10
- Yet a litle sleepe, a litle slumber, a litle folding of the hands to sleepe.
- 11
- Therefore thy pouertie commeth as one that trauaileth by the way, and thy necessitie like an armed man.
- 12
- The vnthriftie man and the wicked man walketh with a froward mouth.
- 13
- He maketh a signe with his eyes: he signifieth with his feete: he instructeth with his fingers.
- 14
- Lewde things are in his heart: he imagineth euill at all times, and raiseth vp contentions.
- 15
- Therefore shall his destruction come speedily: hee shall be destroyed suddenly without recouerie.
- 16
- These sixe things doeth the Lorde hate: yea, his soule abhorreth seuen:
- 17
- The hautie eyes, a lying tongue, and the hands that shed innocent blood,
- 18
- An heart that imagineth wicked enterprises, feete that be swift in running to mischiefe,
- 19
- A false witnesse that speaketh lyes, and him that rayseth vp contentions among brethren.
- 20
- My sonne, keepe thy fathers commandement, and forsake not thy mothers instruction.
- 21
- Binde them alway vpon thine heart, and tye them about thy necke.
- 22
- It shall leade thee, when thou walkest: it shall watch for thee, when thou sleepest, and when thou wakest, it shall talke with thee.
- 23
- For the commandement is a lanterne, and instruction a light: and corrections for instruction are the way of life,
- 24
- To keepe thee from the wicked woman, & from ye flatterie of ye tongue of a strange woman.
- 25
- Desire not her beautie in thine heart, neither let her take thee with her eye lids.
- 26
- For because of the whorish woman a man is brought to a morsell of bread, and a woman wil hunt for the precious life of a man.
- 27
- Can a man take fire in his bosome, and his clothes not be burnt?
- 28
- Or can a man go vpon coales, and his feete not be burnt?
- 29
- So he that goeth in to his neighbours wife, shall not be innocent, whosoeuer toucheth her.
- 30
- Men do not despise a thiefe, when he stealeth, to satisfie his soule, because he is hungrie.
- 31
- But if he be founde, he shall restore seuen folde, or he shall giue all the substance of his house.
- 32
- But he that committeth adulterie with a woman, he is destitute of vnderstanding: he that doeth it, destroyeth his owne soule.
- 33
- He shall finde a wounde and dishonour, and his reproch shall neuer be put away.
- 34
- For ielousie is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
- 35
- He cannot beare the sight of any raunsome: neither will he consent, though thou augment the giftes.
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