Proverbs 23
1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, Thou considerest diligently that which [is] before thee,
When you sit down to eat a meal with a (government official/king), think carefully about what (OR, who) is in front of you.
2 And thou hast put a knife to thy throat, If thou [art] a man of appetite.
[Even] if you (have a big appetite/want to eat a lot of food), restrain yourself.
3 Have no desire to his dainties, seeing it [is] lying food.
Do not want to eat [a lot of] his fine food, because he may be trying to trick you.
4 Labour not to make wealth, From thine own understanding cease, Dost thou cause thine eyes to fly upon it? Then it is not.
Do not [cause yourself to become very tired by] working very hard to become rich; be wise and stop doing that,
5 For wealth maketh to itself wings, As an eagle it flieth to the heavens.
because as soon as you look [MTY] at [all the money that you have acquired], it will be gone; it will [disappear as if it] suddenly grew wings [SIM] and flew up into the sky like an eagle.
6 Eat not the bread of an evil eye, And have no desire to his dainties,
[If] someone who is stingy [invites you to a meal], do not eat [a lot of] his fine food,
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.
because he will be thinking about how much [the food cost that you are eating]. He [will] say to you, “Eat and drink all that you want!”, but that is not what he [will] really be thinking.
8 Thy morsel thou hast eaten thou dost vomit up, And hast marred thy words that [are] sweet.
[When you realize what he is really thinking, it will cause you to want to] vomit what you have eaten; and your kind words [telling him that you are enjoying the meal] will be wasted.
9 In the ears of a fool speak not, For he treadeth on the wisdom of thy words.
(Do not [waste time by]/It is useless) talking to foolish people; they will [only] despise the wise things that you say.
10 Remove not a border of olden times, And into fields of the fatherless enter not,
Do not [steal someone’s property by] removing a boundary marker that has been there for a long time, and do not take for yourself the land that belongs to orphans,
11 For their Redeemer [is] strong, He doth plead their cause with thee.
because Yahweh is strong, and he is [like] a relative that has the responsibility to defend them, he will [stand up in court and] argue for them and against you.
12 Bring in to instruction thy heart, And thine ear to sayings of knowledge.
Pay attention to what [your teachers] teach you, and try to learn from the wise things that they say.
13 Withhold not from a youth chastisement, When thou smitest him with a rod he dieth not.
Do not refuse to discipline your children; if you punish/spank them, it will not cause them to die,
and it may save them from [going to] the place where dead people are. (Sheol h7585)
15 My son, if thy heart hath been wise, My heart rejoiceth, even mine,
My son/child, if you [SYN] become wise, I [SYN] will be very happy.
16 And my reins exult when thy lips speak uprightly.
I [SYN] will rejoice when I hear you [SYN] say what is right/wise.
17 Let not thy heart be envious at sinners, But — in the fear of Jehovah all the day.
Do not envy sinful people; instead, revere Yahweh all of your life.
18 For, is there a posterity? Then thy hope is not cut off.
[If you do that], you will be happy in the future, and [God] will certainly [do for you what you are] confidently expecting him to do.
19 Hear thou, my son, and be wise, And make happy in the way thy heart,
My son/child, listen carefully to me and become wise, and think about (all that you do/your behavior).
20 Be not thou among quaffers of wine, Among gluttonous ones of flesh,
Do not associate with those who drink a lot of (wine/strong drink) or with those who (are gluttons/eat more than they should),
21 For the quaffer and glutton become poor, And drowsiness clotheth with rags.
because drunkards and gluttons will become poor; and if all that you do is eat and sleep, you will [soon] (be wearing rags/not have any money to buy clothes).
22 Hearken to thy father, who begat thee, And despise not thy mother when she hath become old.
Pay attention to what your father tells you, and (do not neglect/take care of) [LIT] your mother when she is old.
23 Truth buy, and sell not, Wisdom, and instruction, and understanding,
Try to know/learn what is wise, and get good instruction and understanding; and do not throw those things away.
24 The father of the righteous rejoiceth greatly, The begetter of the wise rejoiceth in him.
Righteous [children] will cause their parents to be very happy; those whose children are wise are proud of them.
25 Rejoice doth thy father and thy mother, Yea, she that bare thee is joyful.
[Do what will] cause your father to be glad and enable your mother [also] to be happy.
26 Give, my son, thy heart to me, And let thine eyes watch my ways.
My son, heed what I say to you, and allow what I do to be an example for you.
27 For a harlot [is] a deep ditch, And a strange woman [is] a strait pit.
Prostitutes and immoral women [DOU] are [like] [MET] a deep pit or a well [that you may fall into].
28 She also, as catching prey, lieth in wait, And the treacherous among men she increaseth.
They wait [for you] like robbers [SIM], and they cause many men to (be unfaithful to/have sex with women who are not) their wives.
29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions? who hath plaint? Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes?
I will tell you [RHQ] what kind of people are always miserable and sad. I will tell you [RHQ] which people are always causing arguments/quarrels and who are always complaining. I will tell you [RHQ] who are injured in fights and whose eyes are always red/bloodshot.
30 Those tarrying by the wine, Those going in to search out mixed wine.
[It is] those who drink a lot of wine, who try drinking other kinds of strong drinks.
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.
Do not look with pleasure at red wine that looks nice, and which sparkles when it is [poured out] into cups, and which tastes good as you drink it,
32 Its latter end — as a serpent it biteth, And as a basilisk it stingeth.
because the next morning [you will feel like] you have been bitten by a poisonous snake [DOU].
33 Thine eyes see strange women, And thy heart speaketh perverse things.
You [SYN] will [think that you are] seeing strange/weird things, and you [SYN] will not be able to think clearly or speak clearly.
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.
You will think you are in a ship that is tossing on the sea; you be like [SIM] someone who is trying to sleep when the ship is rolling from one side to the other.
35 'They smote me, I have not been sick, They beat me, I have not known. When I awake — I seek it yet again!'
You will say, “[I think that] someone struck me, but he did not hurt me; he hit me, but I did not feel it. When will I (wake up/feel normal again) in order that I can drink some more wine?”
