Proverbs 23
1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, Thou considerest diligently that which [is] before thee,
When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, Consider well what is before thee;
2 And thou hast put a knife to thy throat, If thou [art] a man of appetite.
For thou wilt put a knife to thy throat, If thou art a man given to appetite!
3 Have no desire to his dainties, seeing it [is] lying food.
Long not for his dainties. For they are deceitful meat.
4 Labour not to make wealth, From thine own understanding cease, Dost thou cause thine eyes to fly upon it? Then it is not.
Toil not to become rich; Cease from this, thy wisdom.
5 For wealth maketh to itself wings, As an eagle it flieth to the heavens.
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 Eat not the bread of an evil eye, And have no desire to his dainties,
Eat not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, And long not for his dainties;
7 For as he hath thought in his soul, so [is] he, 'Eat and drink,' saith he to thee, And his heart [is] not with thee.
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 Thy morsel thou hast eaten thou dost vomit up, And hast marred thy words that [are] sweet.
The morsel, which thou hast eaten, thou shalt vomit up; And thou wilt have thrown away thy sweet words.
9 In the ears of a fool speak not, For he treadeth on the wisdom of thy words.
Speak not in the ears of a fool; For he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
10 Remove not a border of olden times, And into fields of the fatherless enter not,
Remove not the ancient landmark, And enter not into the fields of the fatherless!
11 For their Redeemer [is] strong, He doth plead their cause with thee.
For their avenger is mighty; He will maintain their cause against thee.
12 Bring in to instruction thy heart, And thine ear to sayings of knowledge.
Apply thy heart to instruction, And thine ears to the words of knowledge.
13 Withhold not from a youth chastisement, When thou smitest him with a rod he dieth not.
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 thy heart hath been wise, My heart rejoiceth, even mine,
My son, if thy heart be wise, My heart shall rejoice, even mine;
16 And my reins exult when thy lips speak uprightly.
Yea, my reins shall exult, When thy lips speak right things.
17 Let not thy heart be envious at sinners, But — in the fear of Jehovah all the day.
Let not thy heart envy sinners, But continue thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long;
18 For, is there a posterity? Then thy hope is not cut off.
For surely there shall be a reward, And thine expectation shall not be cut off.
19 Hear thou, my son, and be wise, And make happy in the way thy heart,
Hear thou, my son, and be wise; And let thy heart go forward in the way!
20 Be not thou among quaffers of wine, Among gluttonous ones of flesh,
Be not thou among winebibbers, And riotous eaters of flesh;
21 For the quaffer and glutton become poor, And drowsiness clotheth with rags.
For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.
22 Hearken to thy father, who begat thee, And despise not thy mother when she hath become old.
Hearken to thy father, who begat thee, And despise not thy mother when she is old.
23 Truth buy, and sell not, Wisdom, and instruction, and understanding,
Buy the truth, and sell it not; Buy wisdom and instruction and understanding.
24 The father of the righteous rejoiceth greatly, The begetter of the wise rejoiceth in him.
The father of a righteous man shall greatly rejoice; Yea, he who begetteth a wise child shall have joy in him.
25 Rejoice doth thy father and thy mother, Yea, she that bare thee is joyful.
Let thy father and thy mother have joy; Yea, let her that bore thee rejoice!
26 Give, my son, thy heart to me, And let thine eyes watch my ways.
My son, give me thy heart, And let thine eyes observe my ways!
27 For a harlot [is] a deep ditch, And a strange woman [is] a strait pit.
For a harlot is a deep ditch; Yea, a strange woman is a narrow pit.
28 She also, as catching prey, lieth in wait, And the treacherous among men she increaseth.
Like a robber she lieth in wait, And increaseth the treacherous among men.
29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions? who hath plaint? Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes?
Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? Who contentions? Who anxiety? Who wounds without cause? Who dimness of eyes?
30 Those tarrying by the wine, Those going in to search out mixed wine.
They that tarry long at the wine; They that go in to seek mixed wine.
31 See not wine when it showeth itself red, When it giveth in the cup its colour, It goeth up and down through the upright.
Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, When it sparkleth in the cup, When it goeth down smoothly.
32 Its latter end — as a serpent it biteth, And as a basilisk it stingeth.
At the last it biteth like a serpent, And stingeth like an adder.
33 Thine eyes see strange women, And thy heart speaketh perverse things.
Thine eyes will look upon strange women, And thy heart will utter perverse things.
34 And thou hast been as one lying down in the heart of the sea, And as one lying down 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 smote me, I have not been sick, They beat me, I have not known. When I awake — I seek it yet again!'
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.
