בְּנִי אִם־עָרַבְתָּ לְרֵעֶךָ תָּקַעְתָּ לַזָּר כַּפֶּיךָ

My son, if you became a guarantor for the debt of your friend or acquaintance, if you have shaken hands for a stranger, you have thereby taken upon yourself a monetary liability. Serving as a guarantor is a serious obligation, which should be undertaken only with great caution. Sometimes inexperienced individuals agree to the request of someone with whom they have a tenuous connection to sign on a guarantee, without taking into account the possibility that they might have to pay the debt themselves. On such occasions, one rashly accepts the obligation without paying sufficient attention to the possible consequences.

נוֹקַשְׁתָּ בְאִמְרֵי־פִיךָ נִלְכַּדְתָּ בְּאִמְרֵי־פִיךָ

In a case of this kind, you have been snared by the sayings of your own mouth; you are trapped by the sayings of your mouth.

עֲשֵׂה זֹאת אֵפוֹא בְּנִי וְהִנָּצֵל כִּי בָאתָ בְכַף רֵעֶךָ לֵךְ הִתְרַפֵּס וּרְהַב רֵעֶיךָ

Do this, then, my son, and be delivered, as you have come into the hand, under the control of, your friend, as you are obligated to him. Go, ingratiate yourself, and exalt your friend, and explain to him that you are unable to fulfill this obligation you accepted upon yourself.

אַל־תִּתֵּן שֵׁנָה לְעֵינֶיךָ וּתְנוּמָה לְעַפְעַפֶּיךָ

Do not grant sleep to your eyes or slumber to your eyelids until you rid yourself of this source of trouble.

הִנָּצֵל כִּצְבִי מִיָּד וּכְצִפּוֹר מִיַּד יָקוּשׁ

Be delivered like a gazelle escapes from the hand of a hunter and like a bird escapes from the hand of a trap. Try to extricate yourself from any guarantee as quickly as possible. You should accept a responsibility of this kind only for trustworthy people with whom you are very close; do not sign a guarantee on the basis of vague familiarity.

לֵךְ־אֶל־נְמָלָה עָצֵל רְאֵה דְרָכֶיהָ וַחֲכָם

The book now offers advice with regard to laziness: Idler, go to the ant; see its ways and become wise. Sit near an ant colony and watch how these creatures work.

אֲשֶׁר אֵין־לָהּ קָצִין שֹׁטֵר וּמֹשֵׁל

Though it does not have a commander, officer, or governor, as the industrious ant does all the work alone, without commanders or officers,

תָּכִין בַּקַּיִץ לַחְמָהּ אָגְרָה בקָּצִיר מַאֲכָלָהּ

it prepares its bread in the summer and amasses its food at the harvest season, for later use. Learn from the ant how to perform work right away; do not hesitate and procrastinate.

עַד־מָתַי עָצֵל תִּשְׁכָּב מָתַי תָּקוּם מִשְּׁנָתֶךָ

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

מְעַט שֵׁנוֹת מְעַט תְּנוּמוֹת מְעַט חִבֻּק יָדַיִם לִשְׁכָּב

If you say: I will have a little sleep, a little slumber, and then a little more folding of arms to lie down and relax while awake,

וּבָא כִמְהַלֵּךְ רֵאשֶׁךָ וּמַחְסֹרְךָ כְּאִישׁ מָגֵן

your poverty will come like a seasoned marcher, who is used to marching forward tirelessly, and your lack will surely arrive like a shielded man, an energetic soldier bearing a shield who advances confidently with none stopping him. Alternatively, this refers to the bearer of the large shield who stays close to his officer to protect him. Poverty will certainly come to one who does not act but instead idly lets the time pass.

אָדָם בְּלִיַּעַל אִישׁ אָוֶן הוֹלֵךְ עִקְּשׁוּת פֶּה

The chapter moves from the denigration of the lazy to criticism of another type of person: A wicked person, a man of iniquity, goes about with a crooked mouth; he enjoys distorting matters and speaking evil of others.

קֹרֵץ בְּעֵינָו מוֹלֵל בְּרַגְלָו מֹרֶה בְּאֶצְבְּעֹתָיו

When this base person is unable to speak and yet wishes to slander someone, he winks with his eyes, shuffles with his feet, or points with his fingers to hint at something negative or to indicate that matters are not as they seem.

תַּהְפֻּכוֹת בְּלִבּוֹ; חֹרֵשׁ רָע; בְּכָל־עֵת מִדְיָנִים יְשַׁלֵּחַ

Duplicity is in his heart; he devises evil at all times, inciting strife.

עַל־כֵּן פִּתְאֹם יָבוֹא אֵידוֹ פֶתַע יִשָּׁבֵר וְאֵין מַרְפֵּא

Therefore, his calamity will come suddenly; abruptly he will be broken, and there is no remedy. This will be the end of a person with an evil tongue, who slanders and gossips even when he does not stand to gain anything from it.

שֶׁשׁ־הֵנָּה שָׂנֵא וְשֶׁבַע תּוֹעֲבַת נַפְשׁוֹ

They are six evil attributes that the Lord hates, and seven that are an abomination to His soul. The seventh is the worst of them all, and the greatest abomination. This literary style employing increasing numbers recurs toward the end of the book (see 30:15, 18, 21, 29).

עֵינַיִם רָמוֹת לשׁוֹן שָׁקֶר; וְיָדַיִם שֹׁפְכוֹת דָּם־נָקִי

These attributes are as follows: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

לֵב חֹרֵשׁ מַחְשְׁבוֹת אָוֶן; רַגְלַיִם מְמַהֲרוֹת לָרוּץ לָרָעָה;

a heart devising iniquitous thoughts, feet hastening to run to evil,

יָפִיחַ כְּזָבִים עֵד שָׁקֶר; ומְשַׁלֵּחַ מְדָנִים בֵּין אַחִים

he who utters lies as a false witness, and he who incites discord among brethren. One who incites discord among friends and brethren employs all the other six evil attributes and causes great harm to others. For this reason, it is the worst of them all.

נְצֹר בְּנִי מִצְוַת אָבִיךָ וְאַל־תִּטֹּשׁ תּוֹרַת אִמֶּךָ

My son, keep the commandment of your father, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.

קָשְׁרֵם עַל־לִבְּךָ תָמִיד עָנְדֵם עַל־גַּרְגְּרֹתֶךָ

Bind them upon your heart always; fasten them as a remembrance upon your neck.

בְּהִתְהַלֶּכְךָ תַּנְחֶה אֹתָךְ בְּשָׁכְבְּךָ תִּשְׁמֹר עָלֶיךָ וַהֲקִיצוֹתָ הִיא תְשִׂיחֶךָ

It, your parents’ instruction, will guide you when you walk, and it will accompany you always: When you lie down, it will protect you, and when you awaken, both in the morning, and much later, at the resurrection of the dead, it will be the topic of your conversation.

כִּי נֵר מִצְוָה וְתוֹרָה אוֹר וְדֶרֶךְ חַיִּים תּוֹכְחוֹת מוּסָר

For the commandment is like a lamp filled with oil that lights up the dark, and the Torah is not a lone candle, a mere physical object, but abstract, broad light; and rebukes of admonition is the way of life.

לִשְׁמָרְךָ מֵאֵשֶׁת רָע מֵחֶלְקַת לָשׁוֹן נָכְרִיָּה

These have the power to protect you from an evil woman, from the smoothness of the tongue of the foreign woman.

אַל־תַּחְמֹד יָפְיָהּ בִּלְבָבֶךָ וְאַל תִּקָּחֲךָ בְּעַפְעַפֶּיהָ

Do not covet her beauty in your heart, and do not let her take you with her eyelids. You desire her beauty, and she winks at you with her eyes, and thereby traps you.

כִּי בְעַד אִשָּׁה זוֹנָה עַד־כִּכַּר לָחֶם וְאֵשֶׁת אִישׁ נֶפֶשׁ יְקָרָה תָצוּד

For on account of a licentious woman, one who is ensnared by her charms will become impoverished to the point that he lacks basic necessities and is brought to beg for a loaf of bread. And a married woman who seeks relations with others hunts even for a precious soul, the pure, exceptional soul.

הֲיַחְתֶּה אִישׁ אֵשׁ בְּחֵיקוֹ וּבְגָדָיו לֹא תִשָּׂרַפְנָה

Can a man stoke fire, sweep up burning coals in his bosom, between his garment and his body, and his clothes not be burned?

אִם־יְהַלֵּךְ אִישׁ עַל־הַגֶּחָלִים וְרַגְלָיו לֹא תִכָּוֶינָה

If a man walks on hot coals, will his feet not be scalded?

כֵּן הַבָּא אֶל־אֵשֶׁת רֵעֵהוּ לֹא יִנָּקֶה כָּל־הַנֹּגֵעַ בָּהּ

So, like one who holds fire and walks on coals, is he who consorts with his friend’s wife; all who touch her will not be absolved from punishment even in this world, and certainly not in the next world.

לֹא־יָבוּזוּ לַגַּנָּב כִּי יִגְנוֹב לְמַלֵּא נַפְשׁוֹ כִּי יִרְעָב

They, people, do not scorn a thief who steals to fill himself when he is hungry,

וְנִמְצָא יְשַׁלֵּם שִׁבְעָתָיִם אֶת־כָּל־הוֹן בֵּיתוֹ יִתֵּן

but even so, when he is found, he must pay sevenfold, a hefty price for his theft, and he must even give all the wealth of his house for this purpose. Even a pauper who was so hungry and miserable that he resorted to theft, so that there is some sort of justification for his deeds, will nevertheless receive his punishment; how much more so is this true of one who engages in adultery, as he has no such defense.

נֹאֵף אִשָּׁה חֲסַר־לֵב מַשְׁחִית נַפְשׁוֹ הוּא יַעֲשֶׂנָּה

He who commits adultery with a woman lacks a heart; he has no wisdom. He who would destroy his own soul does so.

נֶגַע וְקָלוֹן יִמְצָא וְחֶרְפָּתוֹ לֹא תִמָּחֶה

He will find affliction and disgrace, and his disrepute for the adulterous act will not be erased.

כִּי־קִנְאָה חֲמַת־גָּבֶר וְלֹא־יַחְמוֹל בְּיוֹם נָקָם

For jealousy is the fury of man. The anger of that woman’s husband, which is based on jealousy, will be great. And he will not have compassion on the day of vengeance. The husband will avenge himself mercilessly.

לֹא־יִשָּׂא פְּנֵי כָל־כֹּפֶר וְלֹא־יֹאבֶה כִּי תַרְבֶּה־שֹּׁחַד

He, the husband, will not accept any ransom. He will not be placated by any payment, unlike in the case of a thief. He will be unwilling to be appeased even if you multiply bribes. Adultery is an ugly, immoral, and unjustified deed, and furthermore, it is also dangerous.