Proverbs 23
1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what [is] before thee:
When you sit down for a meal with a ruler, look carefully at what is placed before you,
2 And put a knife to thy throat, if thou [art] a man given to appetite.
and cut down if you have a big appetite.
3 Be not desirous of his dainties: for they [are] deceitful food.
Don't be greedy for his fancy food, for it's offered with deceptive motives.
4 Labor not to be rich: cease from thy own wisdom.
Don't wear yourself out trying to get rich—be wise enough not to bother!
5 Wilt thou set thy eyes upon that which is not? for [riches] certainly make to themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle towards heaven.
It disappears in the blink of an eye, suddenly growing wings and flying off into the sky like an eagle.
6 Eat thou not the bread of [him that hath] an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainties:
Don't accept meal invitations from miserly people; don't be greedy for their fancy food,
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.
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 The morsel [which] thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.
You'll vomit up the little pieces you've eaten, and your kind words of appreciation will be wasted.
9 Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
Don't talk to stupid people because they'll ridicule your wise words.
10 Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:
Don't move ancient boundary markers, and don't encroach on fields belonging to orphans,
11 For their redeemer [is] mighty; he will plead their cause with thee.
for their Protector is powerful and he will plead their case against you.
12 Apply thy heart to instruction, and thy ears to the words of knowledge.
Focus your mind on instruction; listen intently to words of knowledge.
13 Withhold not correction from the child: for [if] thou beatest 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 Yes, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.
I'll be delighted when you say what's right.
17 Let not thy heart envy sinners: but [be thou] in the fear of the LORD all the day long.
Don't think enviously of sinners, but always remember to honor the Lord,
18 For surely there is an end; and thy 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 guide thy heart in the way.
Pay attention, my son, and be wise; make sure your mind concentrates on following the right way.
20 Be not among wine-bibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:
Don't join in with people who drink too much wine or who stuff themselves with meat.
21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe [a man] with rags.
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 that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
Pay attention to your father, and don't disregard your mother when she's old.
23 Buy the truth, and sell [it] not; [also] wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
Invest in truth—and don't sell it! Invest in wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
24 The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise [child] shall have joy of him.
Children who do right make their fathers very happy; a wise son brings joy to his father.
25 Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bore thee shall rejoice.
Make your father and mother happy; bring joy to her who gave birth to you.
26 My son, give me thy heart, and let thy eyes observe my ways.
My son, give me your undivided attention, and cheerfully follow my example.
27 For a lewd woman [is] a deep ditch; and a strange woman [is] a narrow pit.
A prostitute is like being trapped in a pit; an immoral woman is like getting stuck a narrow well,
28 She also lieth in wait as [for] a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.
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 sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness 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 that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
—those who spend a long time drinking wine, those who are always trying some new cocktail.
31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth its color in the cup, [when] it moveth itself aright.
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 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
In the end it bites like a serpent, it stings like a snake.
33 Thy eyes shall behold strange women, and thy heart shall utter perverse things.
You'll hallucinate, seeing strange things, and your confused mind will make you say all kinds of craziness.
34 And 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.
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 have stricken me, [wilt thou say], [and] I was not sick; they have beaten me, [and] I felt [it] not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet 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.”
