Proverbs 20:16

Catholic Public Domain Version

Take away the vestments of him who stands up to vouch for a stranger, and take a pledge from him instead of from outsiders.

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He will be afflicted with evil, who provides a guarantee for an outsider. But whoever is wary of traps shall be secure.

So may you be rescued from the foreign woman, and from the outsider, who softens her speech,

There is gold, and there are a multitude of jewels. But lips of knowledge are a precious vessel.

The bread of lies is sweet to a man. But afterwards, his mouth will be filled with pebbles.

For a loose woman is a deep pit, and a foreign woman is a constricted well.

Take away the garment of him who has vouched for an outsider. And take a pledge from him on behalf of foreigners.

For the lips of a loose woman are like a dripping honeycomb, and her voice is smoother than oil.

My son, if you have taken a pledge on behalf of your friend, then you have bound your hand to an outsider,

And behold, a woman meets him, dressed like a harlot, prepared to captivate souls: chattering and rambling,

So may she guard you from the woman who is an outsider, and from the stranger who sweetens her words.