Proverbs 6:3
Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend. Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.
The verse is one of the reproofs of instruction that summon a person to choose wisdom as the path of life instead of rejecting counsel and suffering the penalty of violating spiritual law. It warns that becoming security or surety for another person's debt places one in serious danger. One who has thus come into the hand of his friend is to act at once and with urgency, to humble himself and press his friend to release him from the obligation.
Going surety is a real undertaking and not a mere form, so the signer must be ready to pay the debt himself and must not pledge more than he can afford to lose. He should sign only when he can pay the amount without injury to his household and is willing to bestow that sum outright, for otherwise to become surety is folly and sin and shame. The practical counsel therefore is to refuse to guarantee another's debt, since such an act may bring lifelong bondage and leave wife and children in poverty and sickness and need. The peril is seen when a man is asked to endorse a loan for a wealthy acquaintance and feels pressed to consent though uneasy in mind, and is warned that signing would put him in danger.