< Proverbs 23 >

1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what [is] before thee:
כִּֽי־תֵשֵׁב לִלְחוֹם אֶת־מוֹשֵׁל בִּין תָּבִין אֶת־אֲשֶׁר לְפָנֶֽיךָ׃
2 And put a knife to thy throat, if thou [art] a man given to appetite.
וְשַׂמְתָּ שַׂכִּין בְּלֹעֶךָ אִם־בַּעַל נֶפֶשׁ אָֽתָּה׃
3 Be not desirous of his dainties: for they [are] deceitful food.
אַל־תִּתְאָו לְמַטְעַמּוֹתָיו וְהוּא לֶחֶם כְּזָבִֽים׃
4 Labor not to be rich: cease from thy own wisdom.
אַל־תִּיגַע לְֽהַעֲשִׁיר מִֽבִּינָתְךָ חֲדָֽל׃
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.
התעוף הֲתָעִיף עֵינֶיךָ בּוֹ וְֽאֵינֶנּוּ כִּי עָשֹׂה יַעֲשֶׂה־לּוֹ כְנָפַיִם כְּנֶשֶׁר ועיף יָעוּף הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃
6 Eat thou not the bread of [him that hath] an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainties:
אַל־תִּלְחַם אֶת־לֶחֶם רַע עָיִן וְאַל־תתאו תִּתְאָיו לְמַטְעַמֹּתָֽיו׃
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.
כִּי ׀ כְּמוֹ־שָׁעַר בְּנַפְשׁוֹ כֶּן־הוּא אֱכֹל וּשְׁתֵה יֹאמַר לָךְ וְלִבּוֹ בַּל־עִמָּֽךְ׃
8 The morsel [which] thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.
פִּֽתְּךָ־אָכַלְתָּ תְקִיאֶנָּה וְשִׁחַתָּ דְּבָרֶיךָ הַנְּעִימִֽים׃
9 Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
בְּאָזְנֵי כְסִיל אַל־תְּדַבֵּר כִּֽי־יָבוּז לְשֵׂכֶל מִלֶּֽיךָ׃
10 Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:
אַל־תַּסֵּג גְּבוּל עוֹלָם וּבִשְׂדֵי יְתוֹמִים אַל־תָּבֹֽא׃
11 For their redeemer [is] mighty; he will plead their cause with thee.
כִּֽי־גֹאֲלָם חָזָק הֽוּא־יָרִיב אֶת־רִיבָם אִתָּֽךְ׃
12 Apply thy heart to instruction, and thy ears to the words of knowledge.
הָבִיאָה לַמּוּסָר לִבֶּךָ וְאָזְנֶךָ לְאִמְרֵי־דָֽעַת׃
13 Withhold not correction from the child: for [if] thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.
אַל־תִּמְנַע מִנַּעַר מוּסָר כִּֽי־תַכֶּנּוּ בַשֵּׁבֶט לֹא יָמֽוּת׃
14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell. (Sheol h7585)
אַתָּה בַּשֵּׁבֶט תַּכֶּנּוּ וְנַפְשׁוֹ מִשְּׁאוֹל תַּצִּֽיל׃ (Sheol h7585)
15 My son, if thy heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.
בְּנִי אִם־חָכַם לִבֶּךָ יִשְׂמַח לִבִּי גַם־אָֽנִי׃
16 Yes, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.
וְתַעְלֹזְנָה כִלְיוֹתָי בְּדַבֵּר שְׂפָתֶיךָ מֵישָׁרִֽים׃
17 Let not thy heart envy sinners: but [be thou] in the fear of the LORD all the day long.
אַל־יְקַנֵּא לִבְּךָ בַּֽחַטָּאִים כִּי אִם־בְּיִרְאַת־יְהוָה כָּל־הַיּֽוֹם׃
18 For surely there is an end; and thy expectation shall not be cut off.
כִּי אִם־יֵשׁ אַחֲרִית וְתִקְוָתְךָ לֹא תִכָּרֵֽת׃
19 Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thy heart in the way.
שְׁמַע־אַתָּה בְנִי וַחֲכָם וְאַשֵּׁר בַּדֶּרֶךְ לִבֶּֽךָ׃
20 Be not among wine-bibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:
אַל־תְּהִי בְסֹֽבְאֵי־יָיִן בְּזֹלֲלֵי בָשָׂר לָֽמוֹ׃
21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe [a man] with rags.
כִּי־סֹבֵא וְזוֹלֵל יִוָּרֵשׁ וּקְרָעִים תַּלְבִּישׁ נוּמָֽה׃
22 Hearken to thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
שְׁמַע לְאָבִיךָ זֶה יְלָדֶךָ וְאַל־תָּבוּז כִּֽי־זָקְנָה אִמֶּֽךָ׃
23 Buy the truth, and sell [it] not; [also] wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
אֱמֶת קְנֵה וְאַל־תִּמְכֹּר חָכְמָה וּמוּסָר וּבִינָֽה׃
24 The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise [child] shall have joy of him.
גול גִּיל יגול יָגִיל אֲבִי צַדִּיק יולד וְיוֹלֵד חָכָם וישמח־יִשְׂמַח־בּֽוֹ׃
25 Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bore thee shall rejoice.
יִֽשְׂמַח־אָבִיךָ וְאִמֶּךָ וְתָגֵל יֽוֹלַדְתֶּֽךָ׃
26 My son, give me thy heart, and let thy eyes observe my ways.
תְּנָֽה־בְנִי לִבְּךָ לִי וְעֵינֶיךָ דְּרָכַי תרצנה תִּצֹּֽרְנָה׃
27 For a lewd woman [is] a deep ditch; and a strange woman [is] a narrow pit.
כִּֽי־שׁוּחָה עֲמֻקָּה זוֹנָה וּבְאֵר צָרָה נָכְרִיָּֽה׃
28 She also lieth in wait as [for] a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.
אַף־הִיא כְּחֶתֶף תֶּֽאֱרֹב וּבוֹגְדִים בְּאָדָם תּוֹסִֽף׃
29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
לְמִי אוֹי לְמִי אֲבוֹי לְמִי מדונים מִדְיָנִים ׀ לְמִי שִׂיחַ לְמִי פְּצָעִים חִנָּם לְמִי חַכְלִלוּת עֵינָֽיִם׃
30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
לַֽמְאַחֲרִים עַל־הַיָּיִן לַבָּאִים לַחְקֹר מִמְסָֽךְ׃
31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth its color in the cup, [when] it moveth itself aright.
אַל־תֵּרֶא יַיִן כִּי יִתְאַדָּם כִּֽי־יִתֵּן בכיס בַּכּוֹס עֵינוֹ יִתְהַלֵּךְ בְּמֵישָׁרִֽים׃
32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
אַחֲרִיתוֹ כְּנָחָשׁ יִשָּׁךְ וּֽכְצִפְעֹנִי יַפְרִֽשׁ׃
33 Thy eyes shall behold strange women, and thy heart shall utter perverse things.
עֵינֶיךָ יִרְאוּ זָרוֹת וְלִבְּךָ יְדַבֵּר תַּהְפֻּכֽוֹת׃
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.
וְהָיִיתָ כְּשֹׁכֵב בְּלֶב־יָם וּכְשֹׁכֵב בְּרֹאשׁ חִבֵּֽל׃
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.
הִכּוּנִי בַל־חָלִיתִי הֲלָמוּנִי בַּל־יָדָעְתִּי מָתַי אָקִיץ אוֹסִיף אֲבַקְשֶׁנּוּ עֽוֹד׃

< Proverbs 23 >