Proverbs 23
1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider well who is before thee;
When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what 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 art a man given to appetite.
3 Be not desirous of his dainties; for they are deceitful food.
Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful food.
4 Weary not thyself to become rich; cease from thine own intelligence:
Labour not to be rich: cease from thy own wisdom.
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.
Wilt thou set thy eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make to themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.
6 Eat thou not the food of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainties.
Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his delicacies:
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.
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
8 Thy morsel which thou hast eaten must thou vomit up, and thou wilt have wasted thy sweet words.
The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.
9 Speak not in the ears of a foolish [man], for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
Speak not in the ears of a fool: 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 old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:
11 for their redeemer is mighty; he will plead their cause against thee.
For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.
12 Apply thy heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.
Apply thy heart to instruction, and thy ears to the words of knowledge.
13 Withhold not correction from the child; for [if] thou beatest him with the rod, he shall 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 hell. (Sheol h7585)
15 My son, if thy heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine;
My son, if thy heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.
16 and my reins shall exult, when thy lips speak right things.
Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.
17 Let not thy heart envy sinners, but [be thou] in the fear of Jehovah all the day;
Let not thy heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.
18 for surely there is a result, and thine expectation shall not be cut off.
For surely there is an end; and thy expectation shall not be cut off.
19 Thou, my son, hear and be wise, and direct thy heart in the way.
Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thy heart in the way.
20 Be not among winebibbers, among riotous eaters of flesh.
Be not among winebibbers; among gluttonous eaters of flesh:
21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; and drowsiness clotheth with rags.
For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
22 Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
Hearken to thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; wisdom, and instruction, and intelligence.
Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
24 The father of a righteous [man] shall greatly rejoice, and he that begetteth a wise [son] shall have joy of him:
The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.
25 let thy father and thy mother have joy, and let her that bore thee rejoice.
Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bore thee shall rejoice.
26 My son, give me thy heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.
My son, give me thy heart, and let thy eyes observe my ways.
27 For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.
For an harlot is a deep ditch; and an adulteress is a narrow pit.
28 She also lieth in wait as a robber, and increaseth the treacherous among men.
She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.
29 Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? Who contentions? Who complaining? Who wounds without cause? Who redness of eyes?
Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
30 — They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to try mixed wine.
They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
31 Look not upon the wine when it is red, when it sparkleth in the cup, and goeth down smoothly:
Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth its colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
32 at the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thy heart shall speak froward things;
Thy eyes shall behold strange things, and thy heart shall utter perverse things.
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:
And thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.
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.”
They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.
