Proverbs 23
1 When thou sittest to eate with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee,
When you sit down to eat a meal with a (government official/king), think carefully about what (OR, who) is in front of you.
2 And put the knife to thy throte, if thou be a man giuen to the appetite.
[Even] if you (have a big appetite/want to eat a lot of food), restrain yourself.
3 Be not desirous of his deintie meates: for it is a deceiuable meate.
Do not want to eat [a lot of] his fine food, because he may be trying to trick you.
4 Trauaile not too much to be rich: but cease from thy wisdome.
Do not [cause yourself to become very tired by] working very hard to become rich; be wise and stop doing that,
5 Wilt thou cast thine eyes vpon it, which is nothing? for riches taketh her to her wings, as an eagle, and flyeth into the heauen.
because as soon as you look [MTY] at [all the money that you have acquired], it will be gone; it will [disappear as if it] suddenly grew wings [SIM] and flew up into the sky like an eagle.
6 Eate thou not the bread of him that hath an euil eye, neither desire his deintie meates.
[If] someone who is stingy [invites you to a meal], do not eat [a lot of] his fine food,
7 For as though he thought it in his heart, so will hee say vnto thee, Eate and drinke: but his heart is not with thee.
because he will be thinking about how much [the food cost that you are eating]. He [will] say to you, “Eat and drink all that you want!”, but that is not what he [will] really be thinking.
8 Thou shalt vomit thy morsels that thou hast eaten, and thou shalt lose thy sweete wordes.
[When you realize what he is really thinking, it will cause you to want to] vomit what you have eaten; and your kind words [telling him that you are enjoying the meal] will be wasted.
9 Speake not in the eares of a foole: for hee will despise the wisdome of thy wordes.
(Do not [waste time by]/It is useless) talking to foolish people; they will [only] despise the wise things that you say.
10 Remooue not the ancient boundes, and enter not into the fieldes of the fatherlesse.
Do not [steal someone’s property by] removing a boundary marker that has been there for a long time, and do not take for yourself the land that belongs to orphans,
11 For he that redeemeth them, is mightie: he will defend their cause against thee.
because Yahweh is strong, and he is [like] a relative that has the responsibility to defend them, he will [stand up in court and] argue for them and against you.
12 Apply thine heart to instruction, and thine eares to the wordes of knowledge.
Pay attention to what [your teachers] teach you, and try to learn from the wise things that they say.
13 Withhold not correction from the childe: if thou smite him with the rodde, he shall not die.
Do not refuse to discipline your children; if you punish/spank them, it will not cause them to die,
and it may save them from [going to] the place where dead people are. (Sheol h7585)
15 My sonne, if thine heart be wise, mine heart shall reioyce, and I also.
My son/child, if you [SYN] become wise, I [SYN] will be very happy.
16 And my reynes shall reioyce, when thy lips speake righteous things.
I [SYN] will rejoice when I hear you [SYN] say what is right/wise.
17 Let not thine heart bee enuious against sinners: but let it bee in the feare of the Lord continually.
Do not envy sinful people; instead, revere Yahweh all of your life.
18 For surely there is an ende, and thy hope shall not be cut off.
[If you do that], you will be happy in the future, and [God] will certainly [do for you what you are] confidently expecting him to do.
19 O thou my sonne, heare, and bee wise, and guide thine heart in the way.
My son/child, listen carefully to me and become wise, and think about (all that you do/your behavior).
20 Keepe not company with drunkards, nor with gluttons.
Do not associate with those who drink a lot of (wine/strong drink) or with those who (are gluttons/eat more than they should),
21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall bee poore, and the sleeper shalbe clothed with ragges.
because drunkards and gluttons will become poor; and if all that you do is eat and sleep, you will [soon] (be wearing rags/not have any money to buy clothes).
22 Obey thy father that hath begotten thee, and despise not thy mother when she is olde.
Pay attention to what your father tells you, and (do not neglect/take care of) [LIT] your mother when she is old.
23 Bye the trueth, but sell it not: likewise wisdome, and instruction, and vnderstanding.
Try to know/learn what is wise, and get good instruction and understanding; and do not throw those things away.
24 The father of the righteous shall greatly reioyce, and hee that begetteth a wise childe, shall haue ioy of him.
Righteous [children] will cause their parents to be very happy; those whose children are wise are proud of them.
25 Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall reioyce.
[Do what will] cause your father to be glad and enable your mother [also] to be happy.
26 My sonne, giue mee thine heart, and let thine eyes delite in my wayes.
My son, heed what I say to you, and allow what I do to be an example for you.
27 For a whore is as a deepe ditche, and a strange woman is as a narrowe pitte.
Prostitutes and immoral women [DOU] are [like] [MET] a deep pit or a well [that you may fall into].
28 Also she lyeth in wait as for a praye, and she increaseth the transgressers among men.
They wait [for you] like robbers [SIM], and they cause many men to (be unfaithful to/have sex with women who are not) their wives.
29 To whome is woe? to whome is sorowe? to whom is strife? to whom is murmuring? to whom are woundes without cause? and to whome is the rednesse of the eyes?
I will tell you [RHQ] what kind of people are always miserable and sad. I will tell you [RHQ] which people are always causing arguments/quarrels and who are always complaining. I will tell you [RHQ] who are injured in fights and whose eyes are always red/bloodshot.
30 Euen to them that tarie long at the wine, to them that goe, and seeke mixt wine.
[It is] those who drink a lot of wine, who try drinking other kinds of strong drinks.
31 Looke not thou vpon the wine, when it is red, and when it sheweth his colour in the cup, or goeth downe pleasantly.
Do not look with pleasure at red wine that looks nice, and which sparkles when it is [poured out] into cups, and which tastes good as you drink it,
32 In the ende thereof it will bite like a serpent, and hurt like a cockatrise.
because the next morning [you will feel like] you have been bitten by a poisonous snake [DOU].
33 Thine eyes shall looke vpon strange women, and thine heart shall speake lewde things.
You [SYN] will [think that you are] seeing strange/weird things, and you [SYN] will not be able to think clearly or speak clearly.
34 And thou shalt bee as one that sleepeth in the middes of the sea, and as hee that sleepeth in the toppe of the maste.
You will think you are in a ship that is tossing on the sea; you be like [SIM] someone who is trying to sleep when the ship is rolling from one side to the other.
35 They haue stricken mee, shalt thou say, but I was not sicke: they haue beaten mee, but I knew not, when I awoke: therefore will I seeke it yet still.
You will say, “[I think that] someone struck me, but he did not hurt me; he hit me, but I did not feel it. When will I (wake up/feel normal again) in order that I can drink some more wine?”
