23 6. When you sit down to eat a meal with a ruler, be careful how you eat. 2 Even if you enjoy your food, do not eat too much of it. 3 Do not want his special food for yourself. He may be trying to deceive you.
4 7. Do not work so hard to become rich that you make yourself ill. Be wise and rest when you need to. 5 Your money can disappear very quickly. It may seem to grow wings and then fly far away like an eagle.
6 8. Do not go and eat a meal with someone who hates to spend his money. His food may be good, but do not be greedy for it.
7 He says, ‘Eat and drink as much as you want,’ but he does not really mean that. He is thinking about the cost of the food.
8 Even if you only eat a little of his food, it will make you sick. All your nice words to him will be useless.
9 9. Do not speak to foolish people. They will think that your wise words are silly.
10 10. Never move a stone that has always shown the border of someone's land. Do not take for yourself the fields of people who have no family to help them. 11 God himself will be the relative who helps them. He will speak against you in court.
12 11. Listen carefully to your teacher and study well. Then you will learn knowledge.
13 12. Remember to warn your children when they do something wrong. If you punish them with a stick, you will not kill them. 14 Punishment may save them from death.
15 13. My child, if you become wise, I will be happy. 16 When I hear you speak true words, it will make me very happy.
17 14. Do not be jealous of sinners. Always respect the Lord and obey him in everything that you do. 18 Then you will be happy in future days. What you hope for will surely happen.
19 15. Listen to me, my child. Learn to be wise and to live in a good way.
20 Do not be a friend of people who become drunk. Do not be a friend of greedy people who eat too much. 21 People who are like that soon become poor. They sleep too much, and their clothes have holes in them.
22 16. Listen to your father. You would not be alive without him. Continue to respect your mother when she becomes old.
23 Truth, wisdom, good teaching and knowledge are valuable things. Buy them for yourself. Do not sell them.
24 The father of a righteous person will be very happy. He will be proud of a wise child. 25 So make your father and your mother proud of you. Do things that will make your mother happy.
26 17. Listen to me carefully, my son. Watch how I live.
27 Prostitutes are a dangerous trap for men. Women who are not faithful to their husbands can cause men to fall into danger, like a deep well. 28 They are like robbers who wait to attack people. They take more and more men away from their wives.
29-30 18. People who drink too much wine have many problems. Do you see someone who is in trouble? Someone who is very sad? Someone who argues or complains all the time? Do you see someone with wounds on his body for no reason, or someone with red eyes? Then you are looking at someone who likes to drink wine until late at night. He is someone who likes to try different drinks.
31 So do not even look at that beautiful red wine! Do not think about the pleasure it would give to you. 32 In the end, it will bite you, like a snake with its poison. 33 Your eyes will see strange things. Your mind will be confused so that you say crazy things.
34 You will roll about, like a man who tries to sleep on a ship in a storm. 35 You will say, ‘Somebody must have hit me, but I do not remember what happened. I need to wake up soon and have another drink.’
23 When you sit and eat with an important person, remember who you are with. 2 Never eat too much, even if you are very hungry. 3 Don’t eat too much of his fine food. It might be a trick.
4 Don’t ruin your health trying to get rich. If you are smart, you will give it up. 5 In the blink of an eye, money can disappear, as if it grew wings and flew away like a bird.
6 Don’t eat with selfish people. Control any desire you have for their finest foods. 7 They might tell you to eat and drink all you want, but they don’t really mean it. They are the kind of people who are only thinking about the cost. 8 And if you eat their food, you will get sick and be embarrassed.
9 Don’t try to teach fools. They will make fun of your wise words.
10 Never move an old property line, and don’t take land that belongs to orphans. 11 The Lord will be against you. He is powerful and protects orphans.
12 Listen to your teacher and learn all you can.
13 Always correct children when they need it. If you spank them, it will not kill them. 14 In fact, you might save their lives.
15 My son, it makes me happy when you make a wise decision. 16 It makes me feel good inside when you say the right things.
17 Never envy evil people, but always respect the Lord . 18 This will give you something to hope for that will not disappoint you.
19 So listen, my son, and be wise. Always be careful to follow the right path. 20 Don’t make friends with people who drink too much wine and eat too much food. 21 Those who eat and drink too much become poor. They sleep too much and end up wearing rags.
22 Listen to your father. Without him, you would never have been born. Respect your mother, even when she is old. 23 Truth, wisdom, learning, and understanding are worth paying money for. They are worth far too much to ever sell. 24 The father of a good person is very happy. A wise child brings him joy. 25 Make both of your parents happy. Give your mother that same joy.
26 My son, listen closely to what I am saying. Let my life be your example. 27 Prostitutes and bad women are a trap. They are like a deep well that you cannot escape. 28 A bad woman waits for you like a thief, and she causes many men to be unfaithful to their wives.
29-30 Who gets into fights and arguments? Who gets hurt for no reason and has red, bloodshot eyes? People who stay out too late drinking wine, staring into their strong drinks.
31 So be careful with wine. It is pretty and red as it sparkles in the cup. And it goes down so smoothly when you drink it. 32 But in the end, it will bite like a snake.
33 Wine will cause you to see strange things and to say things that make no sense. 34 When you lie down, you will think you are on a rough sea and feel like you are at the top of the mast. 35 You will say, “They hit me, but I never felt it. They beat me, but I don’t remember it. Now I can’t wake up. I need another drink.”
23 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee:
2 And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.
3 Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.
4 Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.
5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.
6 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:
7 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 The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.
9 Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
10 Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:
11 For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.
12 Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.
13 Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.
14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.
15 My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.
16 Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.
17 Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.
18 For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.
19 Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.
20 Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:
21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
22 Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
24 The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.
25 Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.
26 My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.
27 For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.
28 She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.
29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.
34 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 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.
23 When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
Consider carefully [ a ] what is before you,
2 And put a knife to your throat
If you are a ( A ) person of great appetite.
3 Do not ( B ) desire his delicacies,
For it is deceptive food.
4 ( C ) Do not weary yourself to gain wealth;
[ b ] ( D ) Stop dwelling on it .
5 [ c ] When you set your eyes on it, it is gone.
For ( E ) wealth certainly makes itself wings
Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.
6 ( F ) Do not eat the bread of [ d ] a ( G ) selfish person;
Or desire his delicacies;
7 For as he [ e ] thinks within himself, so he is.
He says to you, “Eat and drink!”
But ( H ) his heart is not with you.
8 You will ( I ) vomit up [ f ] the morsel you have eaten
And waste your [ g ] compliments.
9 ( J ) Do not speak [ h ] to be heard by a fool,
For he will ( K ) despise the wisdom of your words.
10 Do not move the ancient boundary
Or ( L ) go into the fields of the fatherless,
11 For their ( M ) Redeemer is strong;
( N ) He will plead their case against you.
12 Apply your heart to discipline,
And your ears to words of knowledge.
13 ( O ) Do not withhold discipline from a child;
Though you strike him with the rod, he will not die.
14 You shall strike him with the rod
And ( P ) rescue his soul from Sheol.
15 My son, if your heart is ( Q ) wise,
My own heart also will be glad,
16 And my [ i ] innermost being will rejoice
When your lips speak ( R ) what is right.
17 ( S ) Do not let your heart envy sinners,
But live in [ j ] the ( T ) fear of the Lord [ k ] always.
18 Certainly there is a [ l ] ( U ) future,
And your ( V ) hope will not be cut off.
19 Listen, my son, and ( W ) be wise,
And ( X ) direct your heart in the way.
20 Do not be with ( Y ) heavy drinkers of wine,
Or with ( Z ) gluttonous eaters of meat;
21 For the ( AA ) heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty,
And ( AB ) drowsiness will clothe one with rags.
22 ( AC ) Listen to your father, who fathered you,
And ( AD ) do not despise your mother when she is old.
23 ( AE ) Buy truth, and do not sell it ,
Get wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice,
And ( AF ) he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.
25 Let your ( AG ) father and your mother be glad,
And let her rejoice who gave birth to you.
26 ( AH ) Give me your heart, my son,
And let your eyes [ m ] ( AI ) delight in my ways.
27 For a prostitute is a ( AJ ) deep pit,
And a [ n ] ( AK ) strange woman is a narrow well.
28 Certainly she ( AL ) lurks as a robber,
And increases the treacherous among mankind.
29 Who has ( AM ) woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has contentions? Who has complaining?
Who has wounds without cause?
Who has red eyes?
30 Those who ( AN ) linger long over wine,
Those who go to [ o ] taste ( AO ) mixed wine.
31 Do not look at wine when it is red,
When it [ p ] sparkles in the cup,
When it ( AP ) goes down smoothly;
32 In the end it ( AQ ) bites like a snake
And stings like a ( AR ) viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange things
And your [ q ] mind will ( AS ) say perverse things.
34 And you will be like one who lies down in the [ r ] middle of the sea,
Or like one who lies down on the top of a [ s ] mast.
35 “They ( AT ) struck me, but I did not become [ t ] ill;
They beat me, but I did not know it .
When will I awake?
I will ( AU ) seek [ u ] another drink.”
23 When you sit to dine with a ruler,
note well what [ a ] is before you,
2 and put a knife to your throat
if you are given to gluttony.
3 Do not crave his delicacies, ( A )
for that food is deceptive.
4 Do not wear yourself out to get rich;
do not trust your own cleverness.
5 Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, ( B )
for they will surely sprout wings
and fly off to the sky like an eagle. ( C )
6 Do not eat the food of a begrudging host,
do not crave his delicacies; ( D )
7 for he is the kind of person
who is always thinking about the cost. [ b ]
“Eat and drink,” he says to you,
but his heart is not with you.
8 You will vomit up the little you have eaten
and will have wasted your compliments.
9 Do not speak to fools,
for they will scorn your prudent words. ( E )
10 Do not move an ancient boundary stone ( F )
or encroach on the fields of the fatherless,
11 for their Defender ( G ) is strong; ( H )
he will take up their case against you. ( I )
12 Apply your heart to instruction ( J )
and your ears to words of knowledge.
13 Do not withhold discipline from a child;
if you punish them with the rod, they will not die.
14 Punish them with the rod
and save them from death. ( K )
15 My son, if your heart is wise,
then my heart will be glad indeed;
16 my inmost being will rejoice
when your lips speak what is right. ( L )
17 Do not let your heart envy ( M ) sinners,
but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord .
18 There is surely a future hope for you,
and your hope will not be cut off. ( N )
19 Listen, my son, ( O ) and be wise,
and set your heart on the right path:
20 Do not join those who drink too much wine ( P )
or gorge themselves on meat,
21 for drunkards and gluttons become poor, ( Q )
and drowsiness clothes them in rags.
22 Listen to your father, who gave you life,
and do not despise your mother when she is old. ( R )
23 Buy the truth and do not sell it—
wisdom, instruction and insight as well. ( S )
24 The father of a righteous child has great joy;
a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him. ( T )
25 May your father and mother rejoice;
may she who gave you birth be joyful! ( U )
26 My son, ( V ) give me your heart
and let your eyes delight in my ways, ( W )
27 for an adulterous woman is a deep pit, ( X )
and a wayward wife is a narrow well.
28 Like a bandit she lies in wait ( Y )
and multiplies the unfaithful among men.
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has strife? Who has complaints?
Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?
30 Those who linger over wine, ( Z )
who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.
31 Do not gaze at wine when it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup,
when it goes down smoothly!
32 In the end it bites like a snake
and poisons like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange sights,
and your mind will imagine confusing things.
34 You will be like one sleeping on the high seas,
lying on top of the rigging.
35 “They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt!
They beat me, but I don’t feel it!
When will I wake up
so I can find another drink?” ( AA )
