Long-Term Consequences of Adultery

Proverbs 6:27-35:

27 Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned?
28 Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched?
29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; none who touches her will go unpunished.
30 People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry,
31 but if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold; he will give all the goods of his house.
32 He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself.
33 He will get wounds and dishonor, and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy makes a man furious, and he will not spare when he takes revenge.
35 He will accept no compensation; he will refuse though you multiply gifts.

The previous verses said there are dire consequences to extra-marital sex and here they are described in detail. Even someone who steal for hunger, which is understandable, is still subject to the law. That said, the punishment for a want (compared to a need) will be even worse. Adultery hurts all parties involved. The man, the woman, and their spouses. This one time act will have lasting effects that have little hope of being redeemed. This helps to explain the special emphasis in Proverbs, and throughout the Bible, for the sin of sexual relations outside of marriage.