Proverbs 23
1 When you take your seat at the feast with a ruler, give thought with care to what is before you;
When you sit to eat with a ruler, observe carefully what is before you,
2 And put a knife to your throat, if you have a strong desire for food.
and put a knife to your throat if you are a person who likes to eat a lot of food.
3 Have no desire for his delicate food, for it is the bread of deceit.
Do not crave his delicacies, for it is the food of lies.
4 Take no care to get wealth; let there be an end to your desire for money.
Do not work too hard to gain wealth; be wise enough to know when to stop.
5 Are your eyes lifted up to it? it is gone: for wealth takes to itself wings, like an eagle in flight up to heaven.
Will you let your eyes light upon it? It will be gone, for it will surely take up wings like an eagle and fly off to the sky.
6 Do not take the food of him who has an evil eye, or have any desire for his delicate meat:
Do not eat the food of one with an evil eye— and do not crave his delicacies,
7 For as the thoughts of his heart are, so is he: Take food and drink, he says to you; but his heart is not with you.
for he is the kind of man who counts the price of the food. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.
8 The food which you have taken will come up again, and your pleasing words will be wasted.
You will vomit up the little you have eaten and you will have wasted your compliments.
9 Say nothing in the hearing of a foolish man, for he will put no value on the wisdom of your words.
Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.
10 Do not let the landmark of the widow be moved, and do not go into the fields of those who have no father;
Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of orphans,
11 For their saviour is strong, and he will take up their cause against you.
for their Redeemer is strong and he will plead their case against you.
12 Give your heart to teaching, and your ears to the words of knowledge.
Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.
13 Do not keep back training from the child: for even if you give him blows with the rod, it will not be death to him.
Do not withhold instruction from a child, for if you discipline him, he will not die.
It is you who must beat him with the rod and save his soul from Sheol. (Sheol h7585)
15 My son, if your heart becomes wise, I, even I, will be glad in heart;
My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart also will be glad;
16 And my thoughts in me will be full of joy when your lips say right things.
my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.
17 Have no envy of sinners in your heart, but keep in the fear of the Lord all through the day;
Do not let your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of Yahweh all the day.
18 For without doubt there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
Surely there is a future and your hope will not be cut off.
19 Give ear, my son, and be wise, guiding your heart in the right way.
Hear—you!—my son, and be wise and direct your heart in the way.
20 Do not be among those who give themselves to wine-drinking, or among those who make themselves full with meat:
Do not associate with drunkards, or with gluttonous eaters of meat,
21 For those who take delight in drink and feasting will come to be in need; and through love of sleep a man will be poorly clothed.
for the drunkard and the glutton become poor and slumber will clothe them with rags.
22 Give ear to your father whose child you are, and do not keep honour from your mother when she is old.
Listen to your father who begot you and do not despise your mother when she is old.
23 Get for yourself that which is true, and do not let it go for money; get wisdom and teaching and good sense.
Buy the truth, but do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
24 The father of the upright man will be glad, and he who has a wise child will have joy because of him.
The father of the righteous person will greatly rejoice, and he who begets a wise child will be glad in him.
25 Let your father and your mother be glad, let her who gave you birth have joy.
Let your father and your mother be glad and let her who bore you rejoice.
26 My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes take delight in my ways.
My son, give me your heart and let your eyes observe my ways.
27 For a loose woman is a deep hollow, and a strange woman is a narrow water-hole.
For a prostitute is a deep pit, and an immoral woman is a narrow well.
28 Yes, she is waiting secretly like a beast for its food, and deceit by her is increased among men.
She lies in wait like a robber and she increases the number of the treacherous among humanity.
29 Who says, Oh! who says, Ah! who has violent arguments, who has grief, who has wounds without cause, whose eyes are dark?
Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has fights? Who has complaining? Who has wounds for no reason? Who has bloodshot eyes?
30 Those who are seated late over the wine: those who go looking for mixed wine.
Those who linger over wine, those who try the mixed wine.
31 Keep your eyes from looking on the wine when it is red, when its colour is bright in the cup, when it goes smoothly down:
Do not look at the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.
32 In the end, its bite is like that of a snake, its wound like the wound of a poison-snake.
In the last it bites like a serpent and it stings like an adder.
33 Your eyes will see strange things, and you will say twisted things.
Your eyes will see strange things and your heart will utter perverse things.
34 Yes, you will be like him who takes his rest on the sea, or on the top of a sail-support.
You will be as one who sleeps on the high seas or lies on the top of a mast.
35 They have overcome me, you will say, and I have no pain; they gave me blows without my feeling them: when will I be awake from my wine? I will go after it again.
“They hit me,” you will say, “but I was not hurt. They beat me, but I did not feel it. When will I wake up? I will seek another drink.”
