1 My child, if you have put up security for a friend’s debt or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger—
2 if you have trapped yourself by your agreement and are caught by what you said—
3 follow my advice and save yourself, for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy. Now swallow your pride; go and beg to have your name erased.
4 Don’t put it off; do it now! Don’t rest until you do.
5 Save yourself like a gazelle escaping from a hunter, like a bird fleeing from a net.
So far Proverbs has discussed where to get wisdom, the spiritual benefits, and the practical benefits. Here we see a specific situation where an unwise decision is discussed. On my other blog, mostly about my personal thoughts and ideas of the world, I've discussed how I think it isn't a good idea to loan money to friends. Instead I suggest giving the money away, without any expectation of repayment. It's good to see that I wasn't too far off. Here are told that guaranteeing another's debt is not a good idea, especially when we have been called to fulfill all out financial obligations. If we have already done so, we should not be proud, but admit our mistake to our those who were involved, without hesitation.
*Normally I used the English Standard Translation, but I felt that in these specific verses The New Living Translation was more clear.
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