Proverbs 23
1 When you sit to eat with a ruler, observe carefully what is before you,
When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider well him that is before thee;
2 and put a knife to your throat if you are a person who likes to eat a lot of food.
And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.
3 Do not crave his delicacies, for it is the food of lies.
Be not desirous of his dainties; seeing they are deceitful food.
4 Do not work too hard to gain wealth; be wise enough to know when to stop.
Weary not thyself to be rich; cease from thine own wisdom.
5 Will you let your eyes light upon it? It will be gone, for it will surely take up wings like an eagle and fly off to the sky.
Wilt thou set thine eyes upon it? it is gone; for riches certainly make themselves wings, like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.
6 Do not eat the food of one with an evil eye— and do not crave his delicacies,
Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainties;
7 for he is the kind of man who counts the price of the food. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.
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.
8 You will vomit up the little you have eaten and you will have wasted your compliments.
The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.
9 Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.
Speak not in the ears of a fool; for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
10 Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of orphans,
Remove not the ancient landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless;
11 for their Redeemer is strong and he will plead their case against you.
For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their cause with thee.
12 Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.
Apply thy heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.
13 Do not withhold instruction from a child, for if you discipline him, he will not die.
Withhold not correction from the child; for though thou beat him with the rod, he will not die.
Thou beatest him with the rod, and wilt deliver his soul from the nether-world. (Sheol h7585)
15 My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart also will be glad;
My son, if thy heart be wise, my heart will be glad, even mine;
16 my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.
Yea, my reins will rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.
17 Do not let your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of Yahweh all the day.
Let not thy heart envy sinners, but be in the fear of the LORD all the day;
18 Surely there is a future and your hope will not be cut off.
For surely there is a future; and thy hope shall not be cut off.
19 Hear—you!—my son, and be wise and direct your heart in the way.
Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thy heart in the way.
20 Do not associate with drunkards, or with gluttonous eaters of meat,
Be not among winebibbers; among gluttonous eaters of flesh;
21 for the drunkard and the glutton become poor and slumber will clothe them with rags.
For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
22 Listen to your father who begot you and do not despise your mother when she is old.
Hearken unto thy father that begot thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
23 Buy the truth, but do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
24 The father of the righteous person will greatly rejoice, and he who begets a wise child will be glad in him.
The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; and he that begetteth a wise child will have joy of him.
25 Let your father and your mother be glad and let her who bore you rejoice.
Let thy father and thy mother be glad, and let her that bore thee rejoice.
26 My son, give me your heart and let your eyes observe my ways.
My son, give me thy heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.
27 For a prostitute is a deep pit, and an immoral woman is a narrow well.
For a harlot is a deep ditch; and an alien woman is a narrow pit.
28 She lies in wait like a robber and she increases the number of the treacherous among humanity.
She also lieth in wait as a robber, and increaseth the faithless among men.
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has fights? Who has complaining? Who has wounds for no reason? Who has bloodshot eyes?
Who crieth: 'Woe'? who: 'Alas'? who hath contentions? who hath raving? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
30 Those who linger over wine, those who try the mixed wine.
They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to try mixed wine.
31 Do not look at the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.
Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth its colour in the cup, when it glideth down smoothly;
32 In the last it bites like a serpent and it stings like an adder.
At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like a basilisk.
33 Your eyes will see strange things and your heart will utter perverse things.
Thine eyes shall behold strange things, and thy heart shall utter confused things.
34 You will be as one who sleeps on the high seas or lies on the top of a mast.
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.
35 “They hit me,” you will say, “but I was not hurt. They beat me, but I did not feel it. When will I wake up? I will seek another drink.”
'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.'
