Warnings against Foolishness

1My sonne, if thou be surety for thy neighbour, and hast striken hands with the stranger,

2Thou art snared with the wordes of thy mouth: thou art euen taken with the woordes of thine owne mouth.

3Doe 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.

4Giue no sleepe to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.

5Deliuer thy selfe as a doe from the hande of the hunter, and as a birde from the hande of the fouler.

6Goe to the pismire, O sluggarde: beholde her waies, and be wise.

7For shee hauing no guide, gouernour, nor ruler,

8Prepareth her meat in the sommer, & gathereth her foode in haruest.

9Howe long wilt thou sleepe, O sluggarde? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleepe?

10Yet a litle sleepe, a litle slumber, a litle folding of the hands to sleepe.

11Therefore thy pouertie commeth as one that trauaileth by the way, and thy necessitie like an armed man.

12The vnthriftie man and the wicked man walketh with a froward mouth.

13He maketh a signe with his eyes: he signifieth with his feete: he instructeth with his fingers.

14Lewde things are in his heart: he imagineth euill at all times, and raiseth vp contentions.

15Therefore shall his destruction come speedily: hee shall be destroyed suddenly without recouerie.

16These sixe things doeth the Lorde hate: yea, his soule abhorreth seuen:

17The hautie eyes, a lying tongue, and the hands that shed innocent blood,

18An heart that imagineth wicked enterprises, feete that be swift in running to mischiefe,

19A false witnesse that speaketh lyes, and him that rayseth vp contentions among brethren.

Warnings against Adultery

20My sonne, keepe thy fathers commandement, and forsake not thy mothers instruction.

21Binde them alway vpon thine heart, and tye them about thy necke.

22It shall leade thee, when thou walkest: it shall watch for thee, when thou sleepest, and when thou wakest, it shall talke with thee.

23For the commandement is a lanterne, and instruction a light: and corrections for instruction are the way of life,

24To keepe thee from the wicked woman, & from ye flatterie of ye tongue of a strange woman.

25Desire not her beautie in thine heart, neither let her take thee with her eye lids.

26For 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.

27Can a man take fire in his bosome, and his clothes not be burnt?

28Or can a man go vpon coales, and his feete not be burnt?

29So he that goeth in to his neighbours wife, shall not be innocent, whosoeuer toucheth her.

30Men do not despise a thiefe, when he stealeth, to satisfie his soule, because he is hungrie.

31But if he be founde, he shall restore seuen folde, or he shall giue all the substance of his house.

32But he that committeth adulterie with a woman, he is destitute of vnderstanding: he that doeth it, destroyeth his owne soule.

33He shall finde a wounde and dishonour, and his reproch shall neuer be put away.

34For ielousie is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

35He cannot beare the sight of any raunsome: neither will he consent, though thou augment the giftes.