מִשְׁלֵי 23

1 כִּֽי־תֵשֵׁב לִלְחוֹם אֶת־מוֹשֵׁל בִּין תָּבִין אֶת־אֲשֶׁר לְפָנֶֽיךָ׃

When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider well him that is before thee;

2 וְשַׂמְתָּ שַׂכִּין בְּלֹעֶךָ אִם־בַּעַל נֶפֶשׁ אָֽתָּה׃

And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.

3 אַל־תִּתְאָו לְמַטְעַמּוֹתָיו וְהוּא לֶחֶם כְּזָבִֽים׃

Be not desirous of his dainties; seeing they are deceitful food.

4 אַל־תִּיגַע לְֽהַעֲשִׁיר מִֽבִּינָתְךָ חֲדָֽל׃

Weary not thyself to be rich; cease from thine own wisdom.

5 (התעוף) [הֲתָעִיף] עֵינֶיךָ בּוֹ וְֽאֵינֶנּוּ כִּי עָשֹׂה יַעֲשֶׂה־לּוֹ כְנָפַיִם כְּנֶשֶׁר (ועיף) [יָעוּף] הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃

Wilt thou set thine eyes upon it? it is gone; for riches certainly make themselves wings, like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.

6 אַל־תִּלְחַם אֶת־לֶחֶם רַע עָיִן וְאַל־תִּתְאָו לְמַטְעַמֹּתָֽיו׃

Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainties;

7 כִּי ׀ כְּמוֹ שָׁעַר בְּנַפְשׁוֹ כֶּן־הוּא אֱכוֹל וּשְׁתֵה יֹאמַר לָךְ וְלִבּוֹ בַּל־עִמָּֽךְ׃

For as one that hath reckoned within himself, so is he: 'Eat and drink', saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

8 פִּֽתְּךָ־אָכַלְתָּ תְקִיאֶנָּה וְשִׁחַתָּ דְּבָרֶיךָ הַנְּעִימִֽים׃

The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.

9 בְּאׇזְנֵי כְסִיל אַל־תְּדַבֵּר כִּֽי־יָבוּז לְשֵׂכֶל מִלֶּֽיךָ׃

Speak not in the ears of a fool; for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

10 אַל־תַּסֵּג גְּבוּל עוֹלָם וּבִשְׂדֵי יְתוֹמִים אַל־תָּבֹֽא׃

Remove not the ancient landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless;

11 כִּֽי־גֹאֲלָם חָזָק הֽוּא־יָרִיב אֶת־רִיבָם אִתָּֽךְ׃

For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their cause with thee.

12 הָבִיאָה לַמּוּסָר לִבֶּךָ וְאׇזְנֶךָ לְאִמְרֵי־דָֽעַת׃

Apply thy heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.

13 אַל־תִּמְנַע מִנַּעַר מוּסָר כִּֽי־תַכֶּנּוּ בַשֵּׁבֶט לֹא יָמֽוּת׃

Withhold not correction from the child; for though thou beat him with the rod, he will not die.

14 אַתָּה בַּשֵּׁבֶט תַּכֶּנּוּ וְנַפְשׁוֹ מִשְּׁאוֹל תַּצִּֽיל׃ (Sheol h7585)

Thou beatest him with the rod, and wilt deliver his soul from the nether-world. (Sheol h7585)

15 בְּנִי אִם־חָכַם לִבֶּךָ יִשְׂמַח לִבִּי גַם־אָֽנִי׃

My son, if thy heart be wise, my heart will be glad, even mine;

16 וְתַעְלֹזְנָה כִלְיוֹתָי בְּדַבֵּר שְׂפָתֶיךָ מֵישָׁרִֽים׃

Yea, my reins will rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.

17 אַל־יְקַנֵּא לִבְּךָ בַּחַטָּאִים כִּי אִם־בְּיִרְאַת־יְהֹוָה כׇּל־הַיּֽוֹם׃

Let not thy heart envy sinners, but be in the fear of the LORD all the day;

18 כִּי אִם־יֵשׁ אַחֲרִית וְתִקְוָתְךָ לֹא תִכָּרֵֽת׃

For surely there is a future; and thy hope shall not be cut off.

19 שְׁמַע־אַתָּה בְנִי וַחֲכָם וְאַשֵּׁר בַּדֶּרֶךְ לִבֶּֽךָ׃

Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thy heart in the way.

20 אַל־תְּהִי בְסֹֽבְאֵי־יָיִן בְּזֹלְלֵי בָשָׂר לָֽמוֹ׃

Be not among winebibbers; among gluttonous eaters of flesh;

21 כִּֽי־סֹבֵא וְזוֹלֵל יִוָּרֵשׁ וּקְרָעִים תַּלְבִּישׁ נוּמָֽה׃

For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

22 שְׁמַע לְאָבִיךָ זֶה יְלָדֶךָ וְאַל־תָּבוּז כִּֽי־זָקְנָה אִמֶּֽךָ׃

Hearken unto thy father that begot thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.

23 אֱמֶת קְנֵה וְאַל־תִּמְכֹּר חׇכְמָה וּמוּסָר וּבִינָֽה׃

Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

24 (גול) [גִּיל] יָגִיל אֲבִי צַדִּיק (יולד) [וְיוֹלֵד] חָכָם (וישמח) [יִשְׂמַח־]בּֽוֹ׃

The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; and he that begetteth a wise child will have joy of him.

25 יִֽשְׂמַח־אָבִיךָ וְאִמֶּךָ וְתָגֵל יוֹלַדְתֶּֽךָ׃

Let thy father and thy mother be glad, and let her that bore thee rejoice.

26 תְּנָה־בְנִי לִבְּךָ לִי וְעֵינֶיךָ דְּרָכַי (תרצנה) [תִּצֹּֽרְנָה]׃

My son, give me thy heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.

27 כִּֽי־שׁוּחָה עֲמֻקָּה זוֹנָה וּבְאֵר צָרָה נׇכְרִיָּֽה׃

For a harlot is a deep ditch; and an alien woman is a narrow pit.

28 אַף־הִיא כְּחֶתֶף תֶּאֱרֹב וּבוֹגְדִים בְּאָדָם תּוֹסִֽף׃

She also lieth in wait as a robber, and increaseth the faithless among men.

29 לְמִי אוֹי לְמִי אֲבוֹי לְמִי (מדונים) [מִדְיָנִים ׀] לְמִי שִׂיחַ לְמִי פְּצָעִים חִנָּם לְמִי חַכְלִלוּת עֵינָֽיִם׃

Who crieth: 'Woe'? who: 'Alas'? who hath contentions? who hath raving? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?

30 לַֽמְאַחֲרִים עַל־הַיָּיִן לַבָּאִים לַחְקֹר מִמְסָֽךְ׃

They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to try mixed wine.

31 אַל־תֵּרֶא יַּיִן כִּי יִתְאַדָּם כִּֽי־יִתֵּן (בכיס) [בַּכּוֹס] עֵינוֹ יִתְהַלֵּךְ בְּמֵֽישָׁרִֽים׃

Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth its colour in the cup, when it glideth down smoothly;

32 אַחֲרִיתוֹ כְּנָחָשׁ יִשָּׁךְ וּֽכְצִפְעֹנִי יַפְרִֽשׁ׃

At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like a basilisk.

33 עֵינֶיךָ יִרְאוּ זָרוֹת וְלִבְּךָ יְדַבֵּר תַּהְפֻּכֽוֹת׃

Thine eyes shall behold strange things, and thy heart shall utter confused things.

34 וְהָיִיתָ כְּשֹׁכֵב בְּלֶב־יָם וּכְשֹׁכֵב בְּרֹאשׁ חִבֵּֽל׃

Yea, 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.

35 הִכּוּנִי בַל־חָלִיתִי הֲלָמוּנִי בַּל־יָדָעְתִּי מָתַי אָקִיץ אוֹסִיף אֲבַקְשֶׁנּוּ עֽוֹד׃

'They have struck me, and I felt it not, they have beaten me, and I knew it not; when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.'