Proverbs 23
1 When you sit down to eat a meal with a (government official/king), think carefully about what (OR, who) is in front of you.
When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, thou shalt consider well, what is before thee;
2 [Even] if you (have a big appetite/want to eat a lot of food), restrain yourself.
And shalt put a knife to thy throat, if, of great appetite, thou art:
3 Do not want to eat [a lot of] his fine food, because he may be trying to trick you.
Do not crave his dainties, for, the same, are deceitful food.
4 Do not [cause yourself to become very tired by] working very hard to become rich; be wise and stop doing that,
Do not toil to get wealth, of thine own understanding, forbear:
5 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.
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.
6 [If] someone who is stingy [invites you to a meal], do not eat [a lot of] his fine food,
Do not eat the food of him that hath a begrudging eye, neither crave thou his dainties;
7 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.
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.
8 [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.
As for thy morsel thou hast eaten, thou shalt vomit it, so shalt thou waste thy things so sweet.
9 (Do not [waste time by]/It is useless) talking to foolish people; they will [only] despise the wise things that you say.
In the ears of a dullard, do not speak, for he will despise the good sense of thy words.
10 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,
Do not move back the ancient boundary, and, into the fields of the fatherless, do not enter;
11 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.
For, their near of kin, is strong, he, will plead their cause with thee.
12 Pay attention to what [your teachers] teach you, and try to learn from the wise things that they say.
Bring, to correction, thy heart, and thine ears, to the sayings of knowledge.
13 Do not refuse to discipline your children; if you punish/spank them, it will not cause them to die,
Do not withhold, from a child, correction, When thou smitest him with the rod, he shall not die:
Thou, with the rod, shalt smite him, and, his soul from hades, shalt thou deliver. (Sheol h7585)
15 My son/child, if you [SYN] become wise, I [SYN] will be very happy.
My son! if thy heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.
16 I [SYN] will rejoice when I hear you [SYN] say what is right/wise.
So shall my reins exult, when thy lips speak the things that are right.
17 Do not envy sinful people; instead, revere Yahweh all of your life.
Let not thy heart be envious of sinners, only of the reverence of Yahweh, all day long;
18 [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.
For surely there is a future, and, thine expectation, shall not be cut off.
19 My son/child, listen carefully to me and become wise, and think about (all that you do/your behavior).
Hear, thou, my son, and be wise, and lead forward, in duty, thy heart.
20 Do not associate with those who drink a lot of (wine/strong drink) or with those who (are gluttons/eat more than they should),
Do not be among them who tipple with wine, —among them who are gluttons;
21 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).
For, the tippler and the glutton, shall come to poverty, and, rags, shall Slumber put on!
22 Pay attention to what your father tells you, and (do not neglect/take care of) [LIT] your mother when she is old.
Hearken to thy father here, who begat thee, and despise not, when she is old, thy mother.
23 Try to know/learn what is wise, and get good instruction and understanding; and do not throw those things away.
Truth, buy thou, but do not sell, wisdom, and correction, and understanding.
24 Righteous [children] will cause their parents to be very happy; those whose children are wise are proud of them.
Greatly shall exult, the father of a righteous man, and, he that begetteth a wise son, shall rejoice in him:
25 [Do what will] cause your father to be glad and enable your mother [also] to be happy.
Rejoice shall thy father and thy mother, yea she, shall exult, who bare thee.
26 My son, heed what I say to you, and allow what I do to be an example for you.
Oh give, my son, thy mind unto me, and let, thine eyes, observe, my ways;
27 Prostitutes and immoral women [DOU] are [like] [MET] a deep pit or a well [that you may fall into].
For, a deep chasm, is the unchaste woman, and, a narrow pit, the female unknown;
28 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.
Yea, she, as for prey, lieth in wait, and, the treacherous among mankind, she causeth to abound.
29 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.
Who hath woe? Who hath outcry of pain? Who hath contentions? Who hath complaining? Who hath needless wounds? Who hath dullness of eyes?
30 [It is] those who drink a lot of wine, who try drinking other kinds of strong drinks.
They who tarry over wine, they who go in to search for mixed wine.
31 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,
Do not look on wine when it becometh red, when it giveth in the cup its sparkle, glideth down smoothly.
32 because the next morning [you will feel like] you have been bitten by a poisonous snake [DOU].
Its after effect, is that, like a serpent, it biteth, and, like a viper, it doth sting.
33 You [SYN] will [think that you are] seeing strange/weird things, and you [SYN] will not be able to think clearly or speak clearly.
Thine eyes, will see strange women, and, thy heart, will speak perverse things:
34 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.
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:
35 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?”
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!
