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 what is before thee;
2 and put a knife to your throat if you are a person who likes to eat a lot of food.
For thou wilt put a knife to thy throat, If thou art a man given to appetite!
3 Do not crave his delicacies, for it is the food of lies.
Long not for his dainties. For they are deceitful meat.
4 Do not work too hard to gain wealth; be wise enough to know when to stop.
Toil not to become rich; Cease from this, thy 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 let thine eyes fly toward them? They are gone! For riches truly make to themselves wings; They fly away like the eagle toward heaven.
6 Do not eat the food of one with an evil eye— and do not crave his delicacies,
Eat not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, And long not for 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 he thinketh in his heart, 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, thou shalt vomit up; And thou wilt have thrown away 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 avenger is mighty; He will maintain their cause against thee.
12 Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.
Apply thy heart to 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 a child; If thou beat him with the rod, he will not die.
Beat him thyself with the rod, And thou shalt rescue him from the underworld. (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 shall rejoice, even mine;
16 my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.
Yea, my reins shall exult, 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 continue thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long;
18 Surely there is a future and your hope will not be cut off.
For surely there shall be a reward, And thine expectation 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 let thy heart go forward in the way!
20 Do not associate with drunkards, or with gluttonous eaters of meat,
Be not thou among winebibbers, And riotous 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 will clothe a man with rags.
22 Listen to your father who begot you and do not despise your mother when she is old.
Hearken to thy father, who begat 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; Buy 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 a righteous man shall greatly rejoice; Yea, he who begetteth a wise child shall have joy in him.
25 Let your father and your mother be glad and let her who bore you rejoice.
Let thy father and thy mother have joy; Yea, 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; Yea, a strange woman is a narrow pit.
28 She lies in wait like a robber and she increases the number of the treacherous among humanity.
Like a robber she lieth in wait, And increaseth the treacherous 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 hath woe? Who hath sorrow? Who contentions? Who anxiety? Who wounds without cause? Who dimness of eyes?
30 Those who linger over wine, those who try the mixed wine.
They that tarry long at the wine; They that go in to seek 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 sparkleth in the cup, When it goeth 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 an adder.
33 Your eyes will see strange things and your heart will utter perverse things.
Thine eyes will look upon strange women, And thy heart will utter perverse 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 one that lieth down in the midst of the sea, And as one that lieth down 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 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.
