Proverbs 23

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

1When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, Consider diligently him that is before thee;

1When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee:

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

2And put a knife to thy throat, If thou be a man given to appetite.

2And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.

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

3Be not desirous of his dainties; Seeing they are deceitful food.

3Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.

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

4Weary not thyself to be rich; Cease from thine own wisdom.

4Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.

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

5Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? Forrichescertainly make themselves wings, Like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.

5Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

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

6Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, Neither desire thou his dainties:

6Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:

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.

7For as he thinketh within himself, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; But his heart is not with thee.

7For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

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

8The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, And lose thy sweet words.

8The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.

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

9Speak not in the hearing of a fool; For he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

9Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

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

10Remove not the ancient landmark; And enter not into the fields of the fatherless:

10Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:

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

11For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their cause against thee.

11For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.

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

12Apply thy heart unto instruction, And thine ears to the words of knowledge.

12Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine 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.

13Withhold not correction from the child; Forif thou beat him with the rod, he will not die.

13Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.

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

14Thou shalt beat him with the rod, And shalt deliver his soul from Sheol.

14Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.

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

15My son, if thy heart be wise, My heart will be glad, even mine:

15My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.

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

16Yea, my heart will rejoice, When thy lips speak right things.

16Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.

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

17Let not thy heart envy sinners; Butbe thouin the fear of Jehovah all the day long:

17Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.

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

18For surely there is a reward; And thy hope shall not be cut off.

18For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

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

19Hear thou, my son, and be wise, And guide thy heart in the way.

19Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.

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

20Be not among winebibbers, Among gluttonous eaters of flesh:

20Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:

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.

21For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; And drowsiness will clothea manwith rags.

21For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

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

22Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, And despise not thy mother when she is old.

22Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy 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.

23Buy the truth, and sell it not; Yea, wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

23Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

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

24The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; And he that begetteth a wise child will have joy of him.

24The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.

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

25Let thy father and thy mother be glad, And let her that bare thee rejoice.

25Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.

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

26My son, give me thy heart; And let thine eyes delight in my ways.

26My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.

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

27For a harlot is a deep ditch; And a foreign woman is a narrow pit.

27For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.

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

28Yea, she lieth in wait as a robber, And increaseth the treacherous among men.

28She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.

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

29Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? Who hath complaining? who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes?

29Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?

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

30They that tarry long at the wine; They that go to seek out mixed wine.

30They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek 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:

31Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, When it sparkleth in the cup, When it goeth down smoothly:

31Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

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

32At the last it biteth like a serpent, And stingeth like an adder.

32At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.

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

33Thine eyes shall behold strange things, And thy heart shall utter perverse things.

33Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.

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

34Yea, 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.

34Yea, 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.

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.

35They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not hurt; They have beaten me, and I felt it not: When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

35They 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.