Proverbs 23
1 When thou sittest to eat 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 For thou puttest a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man of a craving desire.
[Even] if you (have a big appetite/want to eat a lot of food), restrain yourself.
3 Do not long for his savory meats; they are deceitful food.
Do not want to eat [a lot of] his fine food, because he may be trying to trick you.
4 Fatigue thyself not to become rich; because thou hast understanding, forbear.
Do not [cause yourself to become very tired by] working very hard to become rich; be wise and stop doing that,
5 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.
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 Eat not the bread of a man with an evil eye, and do not long for his savory meats;
[If] someone who is stingy [invites you to a meal], do not eat [a lot of] his fine food,
7 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.
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 Thy morsel which thou hast eaten must thou spit out, and thou hast wasted thy pleasant words.
[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 Speak not before the ears of a fool; for he will despise the intelligence of thy words.
(Do not [waste time by]/It is useless) talking to foolish people; they will [only] despise the wise things that you say.
10 Remove not the ancient landmark, and into the fields of the fatherless must thou not enter;
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 their redeemer is strong; he will indeed plead their cause with 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 thy heart unto instruction, and thy ears to the sayings of knowledge.
Pay attention to what [your teachers] teach you, and try to learn from the wise things that they say.
13 Withhold not from a lad correction; for if thou beat him with the rod, he will not die.
Do not refuse to discipline your children; if you punish/spank them, it will not cause them to die,
14 Thou wilt indeed beat him with the rod; but thou wilt deliver his soul from perdition. (Sheol h7585)
and it may save them from [going to] the place where dead people are. (Sheol h7585)
15 My son, If thy heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.
My son/child, if you [SYN] become wise, I [SYN] will be very happy.
16 And my reins shall exult when thy lips speak what is equitable.
I [SYN] will rejoice when I hear you [SYN] say what is right/wise.
17 Let not thy heart be envious against sinners; but [remain] in the fear of the lord all the time.
Do not envy sinful people; instead, revere Yahweh all of your life.
18 For surely there is a future, and thy hope will 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 Hear thou, my son, and become wise, and guide thy heart on the right way.
My son/child, listen carefully to me and become wise, and think about (all that you do/your behavior).
20 Be not among those that drink wine immoderately, among those that over-indulge in eating flesh:
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 will come to poverty; and drowsiness clotheth a man in rags.
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 Hearken unto thy father that hath begotten thee, and despise not thy mother although she be old.
Pay attention to what your father tells you, and (do not neglect/take care of) [LIT] your mother when she is old.
23 Buy the truth and sell it not; [also] wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
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 will be greatly glad, and he that begetteth a wise child will have joy through him.
Righteous [children] will cause their parents to be very happy; those whose children are wise are proud of them.
25 Let [then] thy father and thy mother rejoice, and let her that hath born thee be glad.
[Do what will] cause your father to be glad and enable your mother [also] to be happy.
26 Give, my son, thy heart unto me, and let thy eyes watch my ways.
My son, heed what I say to you, and allow what I do to be an example for you.
27 For a harlot is a deep ditch, and a strange woman is a narrow well.
Prostitutes and immoral women [DOU] are [like] [MET] a deep pit or a well [that you may fall into].
28 She also lieth in wait like a robber, and she increaseth the treacherous 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 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath quarrels? who hath complaints? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of 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 They that tarry late over the wine: they that come to seek for mixed drink.
[It is] those who drink a lot of wine, who try drinking other kinds of strong drinks.
31 Do not look on the wine when it looketh red, when it giveth its color in the cup, when it glideth down so readily.
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 At the last it will bite like a serpent, and like a basilisk will it sting.
because the next morning [you will feel like] you have been bitten by a poisonous snake [DOU].
33 Thy eyes will see strange forms, and thy heart will speak perverse 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 wilt be like one that lieth down in the heart of the sea, or as he that lieth on the top of a mast.
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 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.”
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?”
