Proverbs 23
1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, Consider well what is before thee;
幾時你與首長坐席，應記著，在你面前的是誰。
2 For thou wilt put a knife to thy throat, If thou art a man given to appetite!
你若過於貪食，應在咽喉上，放上一把刀。
3 Long not for his dainties. For they are deceitful meat.
休要羨慕他的珍饈，因那是騙人的食品。
4 Toil not to become rich; Cease from this, thy wisdom.
不要辛苦企求致富，反應放棄這種企圖。
5 Wilt thou let thine eyes fly toward them? They are gone! For riches truly make to themselves wings; They fly away like the eagle toward heaven.
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 not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, And long not for 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 heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” saith he to 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 The morsel, which thou hast eaten, thou shalt vomit up; And thou wilt have thrown away 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 fool; 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 avenger is mighty; He will maintain 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 to 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 a child; If thou beat him with the rod, he will 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 Yea, 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 continue thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long;
心裏不要羨慕罪人，卻要日日敬畏上主；
18 For surely there shall be a reward, 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 Hear thou, my son, and be wise; And let thy heart go forward 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 thou among winebibbers, And 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 will clothe a man 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 to thy father, who 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; Buy wisdom and instruction and understanding.
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; Yea, he who begetteth a wise child shall have joy in 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; Yea, 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 harlot is a deep ditch; Yea, a strange woman is a narrow pit.
妓女是一個深坑，淫婦是一個陷阱；
28 Like a robber she lieth in wait, 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 anxiety? Who wounds without cause? Who dimness 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 in to seek mixed wine.
是那流連於醉鄉，去搜求醇酒的人。
31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, When it sparkleth in the cup, When it 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 will look upon strange women, And thy heart will utter perverse things.
那時，你的眼要見到奇景，你的心要吐出狂語。
34 Yea, thou shalt be as one that lieth down in the midst of the sea, And as one 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 stricken me [[shalt thou say]], —I suffered no pain! They have beaten me, —I felt 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! 」
