Proverbs 23
1 When thou sit to eat with a ruler, consider diligently him who is before thee,
When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider well who is before thee;
2 and put a knife to thy throat if thou be a man given to appetite.
and put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.
3 Be not desirous of his dainties, since they are deceitful food.
Be not desirous of his dainties; for they are deceitful food.
4 Weary not thyself to be rich. Out of thine own wisdom, cease.
Weary not thyself to become rich; cease from thine own intelligence:
5 Will thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For it certainly makes itself wings, like an eagle that flies toward heaven.
wilt thou set thine eyes upon it, it is gone; for indeed it maketh itself wings and it flieth away as an eagle towards the heavens.
6 Eat thou not the bread of an evil eye, nor desire thou his dainties.
Eat thou not the food of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainties.
7 For as he thinks within himself, so is he. Eat and drink, he says to thee, but his heart is not with thee.
For as he thinketh in his soul, so is he. Eat and drink! will he say unto thee; but his heart is not with thee.
8 The morsel which thou have eaten thou shall vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.
Thy morsel which thou hast eaten must thou vomit up, and thou wilt have wasted thy sweet words.
9 Speak not in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
Speak not in the ears of a foolish [man], for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
10 Remove not the ancient landmark. And enter not into the fields of the fatherless,
Remove not the ancient landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:
11 for their Redeemer is strong. He will plead their cause against thee.
for their redeemer is mighty; he will plead their cause against thee.
12 Apply thy heart to instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.
Apply thy heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.
13 Withhold not correction from the child, for if thou beat him with the rod, he will not die.
Withhold not correction from the child; for [if] thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die:
thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from Sheol. (Sheol h7585)
15 My son, if thy heart be wise, my heart will be glad, even mine.
My son, if thy heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine;
16 Yea, my heart will rejoice when thy lips speak right things.
and my reins shall exult, when thy lips speak right things.
17 Let not thy heart envy sinners, but be thou in the fear of Jehovah all the day long.
Let not thy heart envy sinners, but [be thou] in the fear of Jehovah all the day;
18 For surely there is a reward, and thy hope shall not be cut off.
for surely there is a result, and thine expectation shall not be cut off.
19 Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thy heart in the way.
Thou, my son, hear and be wise, and direct thy heart in the way.
20 Be not among winebibbers, among gluttonous eaters of flesh.
Be not among winebibbers, among riotous eaters of flesh.
21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.
For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; and drowsiness clotheth with rags.
22 Hearken to thy father who begot thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
23 Buy the truth, and do not sell it, yea, wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
Buy the truth, and sell it not; wisdom, and instruction, and intelligence.
24 The father of a righteous man will greatly rejoice, and he who begets a wise son will have joy of him.
The father of a righteous [man] shall greatly rejoice, and he that begetteth a wise [son] shall have joy of him:
25 Let thy father and thy mother be glad, and let her who bore thee rejoice.
let thy father and thy mother have joy, and let her that bore thee rejoice.
26 My son, give me thy heart, and let thine eyes delight in my ways.
My son, give me thy heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.
27 For a harlot is a deep ditch, and an interloping woman is a narrow pit.
For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.
28 Yea, she lies in wait as a robber, and increases the treacherous among men.
She also lieth in wait as a robber, and increaseth the treacherous among men.
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?
Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? Who contentions? Who complaining? Who wounds without cause? Who redness of eyes?
30 Those who tarry long at the wine. Those who go to seek out mixed wine.
— They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to try mixed wine.
31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly.
Look not upon the wine when it is red, when it sparkleth in the cup, and goeth down smoothly:
32 At the end it bites like a serpent, and stings like an adder.
at the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
33 Thine eyes shall behold strange things, and thy heart shall utter perverse things.
Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thy heart shall speak froward things;
34 Yea, thou shall be as he who lies down in the midst of the sea, or as he who lies upon the top of a mast.
and thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, and as he that lieth down upon the top of a mast:
35 They have stricken me, thou shall say, and I was not hurt. They have beaten me, and I did not feel it. When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.
— “They have smitten me, [and] I am not sore; they have beaten me, [and] I knew it not. When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.”
