Proverbs 23

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¹When you take your seat at the feast with a ruler, give thought with care to what is before you;

²And put a knife to your throat, if you have a strong desire for food.

³Have no desire for his delicate food, for it is the bread of deceit.

⁴Take no care to get wealth; let there be an end to your desire for money.

⁵Are your eyes lifted up to it? it is gone: for wealth takes to itself wings, like an eagle in flight up to heaven.

⁶Do not take the food of him who has an evil eye, or have any desire for his delicate meat:

⁷For as the thoughts of his heart are, so is he: Take food and drink, he says to you; but his heart is not with you.

⁸The food which you have taken will come up again, and your pleasing words will be wasted.

⁹Say nothing in the hearing of a foolish man, for he will put no value on the wisdom of your words.

¹⁰Do not let the landmark of the widow be moved, and do not go into the fields of those who have no father;

¹¹For their saviour is strong, and he will take up their cause against you.

¹²Give your heart to teaching, and your ears to the words of knowledge.

¹³Do not keep back training from the child: for even if you give him blows with the rod, it will not be death to him.

¹⁴Give him blows with the rod, and keep his soul safe from the underworld.

¹⁵My son, if your heart becomes wise, I, even I, will be glad in heart;

¹⁶And my thoughts in me will be full of joy when your lips say right things.

¹⁷Have no envy of sinners in your heart, but keep in the fear of the Lord all through the day;

¹⁸For without doubt there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.

¹⁹Give ear, my son, and be wise, guiding your heart in the right way.

²⁰Do not be among those who give themselves to wine-drinking, or among those who make themselves full with meat:

²¹For those who take delight in drink and feasting will come to be in need; and through love of sleep a man will be poorly clothed.

²²Give ear to your father whose child you are, and do not keep honour from your mother when she is old.

²³Get for yourself that which is true, and do not let it go for money; get wisdom and teaching and good sense.

²⁴The father of the upright man will be glad, and he who has a wise child will have joy because of him.

²⁵Let your father and your mother be glad, let her who gave you birth have joy.

²⁶My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes take delight in my ways.

²⁷For a loose woman is a deep hollow, and a strange woman is a narrow water-hole.

²⁸Yes, she is waiting secretly like a beast for its food, and deceit by her is increased among men.

²⁹Who says, Oh! who says, Ah! who has violent arguments, who has grief, who has wounds without cause, whose eyes are dark?

³⁰Those who are seated late over the wine: those who go looking for mixed wine.

³¹Keep your eyes from looking on the wine when it is red, when its colour is bright in the cup, when it goes smoothly down:

³²In the end, its bite is like that of a snake, its wound like the wound of a poison-snake.

³³Your eyes will see strange things, and you will say twisted things.

³⁴Yes, you will be like him who takes his rest on the sea, or on the top of a sail-support.

³⁵They have overcome me, you will say, and I have no pain; they gave me blows without my feeling them: when will I be awake from my wine? I will go after it again.

Proverbs 23

¹When you sit to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before you;

²put a knife to your throat, if you are a man given to appetite.

³Do not be desirous of his dainties, seeing they are deceitful food.

⁴Do not weary yourself to be rich. In your wisdom, show restraint.

⁵Why do you set your eyes on that which is not? For it certainly sprouts wings like an eagle and flies in the sky.

⁶Do not eat the food of him who has a stingy eye, and do not crave his delicacies:

⁷for as he thinks about the cost, so he is. "Eat and drink!" he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

⁸The morsel which you have eaten you shall vomit up, and lose your good words.

⁹Do not speak in the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.

¹⁰Do not move the ancient boundary stone. Do not encroach on the fields of the fatherless:

¹¹for their Defender is strong. He will plead their case against you.

¹²Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to the words of knowledge.

¹³Do not withhold correction from a child. If you punish him with the rod, he will not die.

¹⁴Punish him with the rod, and save his soul from Sheol.

¹⁵My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad, even mine:

¹⁶yes, my heart will rejoice, when your lips speak what is right.

¹⁷Do not let your heart envy sinners; but rather fear the Lord all the day long.

¹⁸Indeed surely there is a future hope, and your hope will not be cut off.

¹⁹Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path!

²⁰Do not be among ones drinking too much wine, or those who gorge themselves on meat:

²¹for the drunkard and the glutton shall become poor; and drowsiness clothes them in rags.

²²Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.

²³Buy the truth, and do not sell it. Get wisdom, discipline, and understanding.

²⁴The father of the righteous has great joy. Whoever fathers a wise child delights in him.

²⁵Let your father and your mother be glad! Let her who bore you rejoice!

²⁶My son, give me your heart; and let your eyes keep in my ways.

²⁷For a prostitute is a deep pit; and a wayward wife is a narrow well.

²⁸Yes, she lies in wait like a robber, and increases the unfaithful among men.

²⁹Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?

³⁰Those who stay long at the wine; those who go to seek out mixed wine.

³¹Do not look at the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly.

³²In the end, it bites like a snake, and poisons like a viper.

³³Your eyes will see strange things, and your mind will imagine confusing things.

³⁴Yes, you will be as he who lies down in the midst of the sea, or as he who lies on top of the rigging:

³⁵"They hit me, and I was not hurt! They beat me, and I do not feel it! When will I wake up? I can do it again. I can find another."