Proverbiorum 23
1 quando sederis ut comedas cum principe diligenter adtende quae posita sunt ante faciem tuam
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 et statue cultrum in gutture tuo si tamen habes in potestate animam tuam
[Even] if you (have a big appetite/want to eat a lot of food), restrain yourself.
3 ne desideres de cibis eius in quo est panis mendacii
Do not want to eat [a lot of] his fine food, because he may be trying to trick you.
4 noli laborare ut diteris sed prudentiae tuae pone modum
Do not [cause yourself to become very tired by] working very hard to become rich; be wise and stop doing that,
5 ne erigas oculos tuos ad opes quas habere non potes quia facient sibi pinnas quasi aquilae et avolabunt in caelum
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 ne comedas cum homine invido et ne desideres cibos eius
[If] someone who is stingy [invites you to a meal], do not eat [a lot of] his fine food,
7 quoniam in similitudinem arioli et coniectoris aestimat quod ignorat comede et bibe dicet tibi et mens eius non est tecum
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 cibos quos comederas evomes et perdes pulchros sermones tuos
[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 auribus insipientium ne loquaris quia despicient doctrinam eloquii tui
(Do not [waste time by]/It is useless) talking to foolish people; they will [only] despise the wise things that you say.
10 ne adtingas terminos parvulorum et agrum pupillorum ne introeas
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 propinquus enim eorum Fortis est et ipse iudicabit contra te causam illorum
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 ingrediatur ad doctrinam cor tuum et aures tuae ad verba scientiae
Pay attention to what [your teachers] teach you, and try to learn from the wise things that they say.
13 noli subtrahere a puero disciplinam si enim percusseris eum virga non morietur
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 fili mi si sapiens fuerit animus tuus gaudebit tecum cor meum
My son/child, if you [SYN] become wise, I [SYN] will be very happy.
16 et exultabunt renes mei cum locuta fuerint rectum labia tua
I [SYN] will rejoice when I hear you [SYN] say what is right/wise.
17 non aemuletur cor tuum peccatores sed in timore Domini esto tota die
Do not envy sinful people; instead, revere Yahweh all of your life.
18 quia habebis spem in novissimo et praestolatio tua non auferetur
[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 audi fili mi et esto sapiens et dirige in via animum tuum
My son/child, listen carefully to me and become wise, and think about (all that you do/your behavior).
20 noli esse in conviviis potatorum nec in comesationibus eorum qui carnes ad vescendum conferunt
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 quia vacantes potibus et dantes symbola consumentur et vestietur pannis dormitatio
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 audi patrem tuum qui genuit te et ne contemnas cum senuerit mater tua
Pay attention to what your father tells you, and (do not neglect/take care of) [LIT] your mother when she is old.
23 veritatem eme et noli vendere sapientiam et doctrinam et intellegentiam
Try to know/learn what is wise, and get good instruction and understanding; and do not throw those things away.
24 exultat gaudio pater iusti qui sapientem genuit laetabitur in eo
Righteous [children] will cause their parents to be very happy; those whose children are wise are proud of them.
25 gaudeat pater tuus et mater tua et exultet quae genuit te
[Do what will] cause your father to be glad and enable your mother [also] to be happy.
26 praebe fili mi cor tuum mihi et oculi tui vias meas custodiant
My son, heed what I say to you, and allow what I do to be an example for you.
27 fovea enim profunda est meretrix et puteus angustus aliena
Prostitutes and immoral women [DOU] are [like] [MET] a deep pit or a well [that you may fall into].
28 insidiatur in via quasi latro et quos incautos viderit interficit
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 cui vae cuius patri vae cui rixae cui foveae cui sine causa vulnera cui suffusio oculorum
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 nonne his qui morantur in vino et student calicibus epotandis
[It is] those who drink a lot of wine, who try drinking other kinds of strong drinks.
31 ne intuearis vinum quando flavescit cum splenduerit in vitro color eius ingreditur blande
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 sed in novissimo mordebit ut coluber et sicut regulus venena diffundet
because the next morning [you will feel like] you have been bitten by a poisonous snake [DOU].
33 oculi tui videbunt extraneas et cor tuum loquetur perversa
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 et eris sicut dormiens in medio mari et quasi sopitus gubernator amisso clavo
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 et dices verberaverunt me sed non dolui traxerunt me et ego non sensi quando evigilabo et rursum vina repperiam
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?”
