2 Thou art bound by the words of thy mouth; and thou art taken with thine own words (or and thou art caught by thy own words, or thy promises).
3 Therefore, my son, do thou that that I say, and deliver thyself; for thou hast fallen into the hand of thy neighbour. Run thou about, haste thou, raise thy friend; (And so my son, do thou what I say, and save thyself; for thou hast fallen into the hand of thy neighbour. Run thou about, haste thou, implore thy friend;)
4 give thou not sleep to thine eyes, neither (let) thine eyelids nap.
5 Be thou ravished, as a doe from the hand; and as a bird from the ambushings of the fowler. (Be thou released, like a doe from the hand of the hunter; and like a bird from the ambush of the fowler.)
6 O! thou slow man (or O thou lazy one!), go to the ant; and behold thou his ways, and learn thou wisdom.
7 Which when he hath no duke, neither commander, nor prince (nor leader);
8 maketh ready in summer meat to himself, and gathereth together in harvest that, that he shall eat. (prepareth food for himself in the summer, and gathereth together at harvest time what he shall eat.)
9 How long shalt thou, slow man, sleep? (or How long shalt thou, O lazy one, sleep?) when shalt thou rise from thy sleep?
10 A little thou shalt sleep, a little thou shalt nap; (and) a little thou shalt join together thine hands that thou sleep (again).
11 And then neediness, as a waygoer, shall come to thee; and poverty, as an armed man. Forsooth if thou art not slow (or But if thou art not lazy), thy ripe corn shall come as a well; and neediness shall flee far from thee.
12 A man apostate, is a man unprofitable, he goeth with a wayward mouth;
13 he beckoneth with (the) eyes, he trampeth with the foot, he speaketh with the finger,
14 by shrewd heart he imagineth evil, and in all time he soweth dissensions. (with a depraved heart he imagineth all kinds of evil, and at all times he soweth discord.)
15 His perdition shall come to him anon, and he shall be broken suddenly; and he shall no more have medicine. (His perdition shall come upon him at once, and suddenly he shall be broken; and then he shall be without any remedy.)
16 Six things there be, which the Lord hateth; and his soul curseth the seventh thing.