Proverbs 23
1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider well who is before thee;
幾時你與首長坐席，應記著，在你面前的是誰。
2 and put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.
你若過於貪食，應在咽喉上，放上一把刀。
3 Be not desirous of his dainties; for they are deceitful food.
休要羨慕他的珍饈，因那是騙人的食品。
4 Weary not thyself to become rich; cease from thine own intelligence:
不要辛苦企求致富，反應放棄這種企圖。
5 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.
你向之一注目，即不再存在了：它會生出翅膀，如鷹向天飛去。
6 Eat thou not the food of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainties.
不要與虎視眈眈的人進食，也不要羨慕他的山珍海味，
7 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.
因為他原是只顧自己的人，他口頭雖對你說「請吃請喝! 」但他的心中並不與你友善；
8 Thy morsel which thou hast eaten must thou vomit up, and thou wilt have wasted thy sweet words.
你吃下的那口食物，還得吐出；你婉轉悅耳的言辭，盡屬枉費。
9 Speak not in the ears of a foolish [man], for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
不要與愚人交耳接談，因他必輕視你的高見。
10 Remove not the ancient landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:
不要移動孀婦的地界，不要侵佔孤兒的田地；
11 for their redeemer is mighty; he will plead their cause against thee.
因為他們的辯護者是大能的，他必為他們的案件與你爭辯。
12 Apply thy heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.
你應專心接受教訓，傾耳細聽益智之言。
13 Withhold not correction from the child; for [if] thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die:
對孩童不可忽略懲戒；用棍打他，他不致死去。
你用棍杖打他，是救他的靈魂免下陰府。 (Sheol h7585)
15 My son, if thy heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine;
我兒，你若心懷智慧，我也誠心喜樂；
16 and my reins shall exult, when thy lips speak right things.
你的唇舌若談吐正義的事，我的五衷也必會踴躍歡欣。
17 Let not thy heart envy sinners, but [be thou] in the fear of Jehovah all the day;
心裏不要羨慕罪人，卻要日日敬畏上主；
18 for surely there is a result, and thine expectation shall not be cut off.
這樣你的將來必然順利，你的希望絕不落空。
19 Thou, my son, hear and be wise, and direct thy heart in the way.
我兒，你要聽話，作個明智人；且要引領你的心走上正道。
20 Be not among winebibbers, among riotous eaters of flesh.
貪嗜酒肉的人，不可與之來往；
21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; and drowsiness clotheth with rags.
因為嗜酒貪食的人，必陷於窮困；貪懶好睡的人，必衣著襤褸。
22 Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
對生養你的父親，應當聽從；對你年邁的母親，不可輕視。
23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; wisdom, and instruction, and intelligence.
應獲取真理，不可出賣，還有智慧、訓誨和見識。
24 The father of a righteous [man] shall greatly rejoice, and he that begetteth a wise [son] shall have joy of him:
義人的父親，必欣然喜樂；生育慧子的，必為此歡騰。
25 let thy father and thy mother have joy, and let her that bore thee rejoice.
應使你的父親因你而喜悅，應使你的生母因你而快樂。
26 My son, give me thy heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.
我兒，將你的心交給我，注目於我的道路：
27 For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.
妓女是一個深坑，淫婦是一個陷阱；
28 She also lieth in wait as a robber, and increaseth the treacherous among men.
她潛伏著，實如強盜，使人世間，增添奸夫。
29 Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? Who contentions? Who complaining? Who wounds without cause? Who redness of eyes?
是誰將哀鳴，是誰將悲嘆﹖是誰將爭吵，是誰將抱怨﹖是誰將無故受傷，是誰將雙目赤紅﹖
30 — They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to try mixed wine.
是那流連於醉鄉，去搜求醇酒的人。
31 Look not upon the wine when it is red, when it sparkleth in the cup, and goeth down smoothly:
你不要注視酒色怎樣紅，在杯中怎樣閃耀，飲下去怎樣痛快!
32 at the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
終究它要咬人如蛇，刺人如虺。
33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thy heart shall speak froward things;
那時，你的眼要見到奇景，你的心要吐出狂語。
34 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:
你宛如躺在海中心，睡在桅杆頂。「
35 — “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.”
人打我，我不痛，人捶我，我不覺；我何時甦醒，好再去尋醉! 」
