Proverbs 23
1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider well him that 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.
For thou puttest a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man of a craving desire.
3 Be not desirous of his dainties; seeing they are deceitful food.
Do not long for his savory meats; they are deceitful food.
4 Weary not thyself to be rich; cease from thine own wisdom.
Fatigue thyself not to become rich; because thou hast understanding, forbear.
5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon it? it is gone; for riches certainly make themselves wings, like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.
When thou lettest merely thy eyes fly over it, it is no more: for it will ever make itself wings: like an eagle will it fly toward heaven.
6 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainties;
Eat not the bread of a man with an evil eye, and do not long for his savory meats;
7 For as one that hath reckoned within himself, so is he: 'Eat and drink', saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
For as though there were a division in his soul, so doth he act: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
8 The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.
Thy morsel which thou hast eaten must thou spit out, and thou hast wasted thy pleasant words.
9 Speak not in the ears of a fool; for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
Speak not before the ears of a fool; for he will despise the intelligence of thy words.
10 Remove not the ancient landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless;
Remove not the ancient landmark, and into the fields of the fatherless must thou not enter;
11 For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their cause with thee.
For their redeemer is strong; he will indeed plead their cause with thee.
12 Apply thy heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.
Apply thy heart unto instruction, and thy ears to the sayings of knowledge.
13 Withhold not correction from the child; for though thou beat him with the rod, he will not die.
Withhold not from a lad correction; for if thou beat him with the rod, he will not die.
Thou wilt indeed beat him with the rod; but thou wilt deliver his soul from perdition. (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 reins will rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.
And my reins shall exult when thy lips speak what is equitable.
17 Let not thy heart envy sinners, but be in the fear of the LORD all the day;
Let not thy heart be envious against sinners; but [remain] in the fear of the lord all the time.
18 For surely there is a future; and thy hope shall not be cut off.
For surely there is a future, and thy hope will not be cut off.
19 Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thy heart in the way.
Hear thou, my son, and become wise, and guide thy heart on the right way.
20 Be not among winebibbers; among gluttonous eaters of flesh;
Be not among those that drink wine immoderately, among those that over-indulge in eating flesh:
21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty; and drowsiness clotheth a man in rags.
22 Hearken unto thy father that begot thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
Hearken unto thy father that hath begotten thee, and despise not thy mother although she be old.
23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
Buy the truth and sell it not; [also] wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; and he that begetteth a wise child will have joy of him.
The father of the righteous will be greatly glad, and he that begetteth a wise child will have joy through him.
25 Let thy father and thy mother be glad, and let her that bore thee rejoice.
Let [then] thy father and thy mother rejoice, and let her that hath born thee be glad.
26 My son, give me thy heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.
Give, my son, thy heart unto me, and let thy eyes watch my ways.
27 For a harlot is a deep ditch; and an alien woman is a narrow pit.
For a harlot is a deep ditch, and a strange woman is a narrow well.
28 She also lieth in wait as a robber, and increaseth the faithless among men.
She also lieth in wait like a robber, and she increaseth the treacherous among men.
29 Who crieth: 'Woe'? who: 'Alas'? who hath contentions? who hath raving? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath quarrels? who hath complaints? 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 late over the wine: they that come to seek for mixed drink.
31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth its colour in the cup, when it glideth down smoothly;
Do not look on the wine when it looketh red, when it giveth its color in the cup, when it glideth down so readily.
32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like a basilisk.
At the last it will bite like a serpent, and like a basilisk will it sting.
33 Thine eyes shall behold strange things, and thy heart shall utter confused things.
Thy eyes will see strange forms, and thy heart will speak perverse things.
34 Yea, 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.
And thou wilt be like one that lieth down in the heart of the sea, or as he that lieth on the top of a mast.
35 'They have struck me, and I felt it not, they have beaten me, and I knew it not; when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.'
“They smote me, [but] I suffered no pain; they struck me hard, [but] I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will continue to seek it again.”
