Proverbs 23
1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, thou shalt consider well, what is before thee;
When you sit down for a meal with a ruler, look carefully at what is placed before you,
2 And shalt put a knife to thy throat, if, of great appetite, thou art:
and cut down if you have a big appetite.
3 Do not crave his dainties, for, the same, are deceitful food.
Don't be greedy for his fancy food, for it's offered with deceptive motives.
4 Do not toil to get wealth, of thine own understanding, forbear:
Don't wear yourself out trying to get rich—be wise enough not to bother!
5 Wilt thou let thine eye fly thereupon, when it is nothing? for it will, surely make, itself wings, Like an eagle, will it wing its way across the heavens.
It disappears in the blink of an eye, suddenly growing wings and flying off into the sky like an eagle.
6 Do not eat the food of him that hath a begrudging eye, neither crave thou his dainties;
Don't accept meal invitations from miserly people; don't be greedy for their fancy food,
7 For, just as he hath thought in his own mind, so, he is: Eat and drink! he may say to thee, but, his heart, is not with thee.
for what they're thinking inside is what they really are. They say, “Come on, eat and drink!”—but in their minds they don't really care about you.
8 As for thy morsel thou hast eaten, thou shalt vomit it, so shalt thou waste thy things so sweet.
You'll vomit up the little pieces you've eaten, and your kind words of appreciation will be wasted.
9 In the ears of a dullard, do not speak, for he will despise the good sense of thy words.
Don't talk to stupid people because they'll ridicule your wise words.
10 Do not move back the ancient boundary, and, into the fields of the fatherless, do not enter;
Don't move ancient boundary markers, and don't encroach on fields belonging to orphans,
11 For, their near of kin, is strong, he, will plead their cause with thee.
for their Protector is powerful and he will plead their case against you.
12 Bring, to correction, thy heart, and thine ears, to the sayings of knowledge.
Focus your mind on instruction; listen intently to words of knowledge.
13 Do not withhold, from a child, correction, When thou smitest him with the rod, he shall not die:
Don't keep from disciplining your children—a beating won't kill them.
If you use physical correction you can save them from death. (Sheol h7585)
15 My son! if thy heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.
My son, if you think wisely then I'll be happy;
16 So shall my reins exult, when thy lips speak the things that are right.
I'll be delighted when you say what's right.
17 Let not thy heart be envious of sinners, only of the reverence of Yahweh, all day long;
Don't think enviously of sinners, but always remember to honor the Lord,
18 For surely there is a future, and, thine expectation, shall not be cut off.
for there's definitely a future for you, and your hope will not be crushed.
19 Hear, thou, my son, and be wise, and lead forward, in duty, thy heart.
Pay attention, my son, and be wise; make sure your mind concentrates on following the right way.
20 Do not be among them who tipple with wine, —among them who are gluttons;
Don't join in with people who drink too much wine or who stuff themselves with meat.
21 For, the tippler and the glutton, shall come to poverty, and, rags, shall Slumber put on!
For people who get drunk and overeat lose all they've got, and they spend so much time dozing that all they have left to wear is rags.
22 Hearken to thy father here, who begat thee, and despise not, when she is old, thy mother.
Pay attention to your father, and don't disregard your mother when she's old.
23 Truth, buy thou, but do not sell, wisdom, and correction, and understanding.
Invest in truth—and don't sell it! Invest in wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
24 Greatly shall exult, the father of a righteous man, and, he that begetteth a wise son, shall rejoice in him:
Children who do right make their fathers very happy; a wise son brings joy to his father.
25 Rejoice shall thy father and thy mother, yea she, shall exult, who bare thee.
Make your father and mother happy; bring joy to her who gave birth to you.
26 Oh give, my son, thy mind unto me, and let, thine eyes, observe, my ways;
My son, give me your undivided attention, and cheerfully follow my example.
27 For, a deep chasm, is the unchaste woman, and, a narrow pit, the female unknown;
A prostitute is like being trapped in a pit; an immoral woman is like getting stuck a narrow well,
28 Yea, she, as for prey, lieth in wait, and, the treacherous among mankind, she causeth to abound.
Like a robber, she lies in wait ready to ambush men and make more of them unfaithful to their wives.
29 Who hath woe? Who hath outcry of pain? Who hath contentions? Who hath complaining? Who hath needless wounds? Who hath dullness of eyes?
Who's in trouble? Who's in pain? Who's arguing? Who's complaining? Who's injured for no reason? Who's got bloodshot eyes?
30 They who tarry over wine, they who go in to search for mixed wine.
—those who spend a long time drinking wine, those who are always trying some new cocktail.
31 Do not look on wine when it becometh red, when it giveth in the cup its sparkle, glideth down smoothly.
Don't let the look of wine tempt you—how red it is, how it sparkles in the cup, how smooth it feels as it goes down.
32 Its after effect, is that, like a serpent, it biteth, and, like a viper, it doth sting.
In the end it bites like a serpent, it stings like a snake.
33 Thine eyes, will see strange women, and, thy heart, will speak perverse things:
You'll hallucinate, seeing strange things, and your confused mind will make you say all kinds of craziness.
34 So shalt thou become, as one lying down in the heart of the sea, —or as one lying down on the top of the mastgear:
You'll stumble around like you're on the rolling ocean, you'll be tossed about like someone lying down at the top of a ship's mast, saying,
35 They smote me—I felt no pain, They struck me down—I noticed it not, —When shall I wake up? I will go on, I will seek it, again!
“People punched me, but it didn't hurt me; they beat me, but I didn't feel a thing. I've got to get up because I need another drink.”
