Proverbs 23

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

1When thou shalt sit to eat with a prince, consider diligently what is set before thy face:

1When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider well who is before thee;

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

2And put a knife to thy throat, if it be so that thou have thy soul in thy own power.

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

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

3Be not desirous of his meats, in which is the bread of deceit.

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

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

4Labour not to be rich: but set bounds to thy prudence.

4Weary not thyself to become rich; cease from thine own intelligence:

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

5Lift not up thy eyes to riches which thou canst not have: because they shall make themselves wings like those of an eagle, and shall fly towards heaven.

5wilt thou set thine eyes upon it, it is gone; for indeed it maketh itself wings and it flieth away as an eagle towards the heavens.

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

6Eat not with an envious man, and desire not his meats:

6Eat thou not the food of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainties.

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

7Because, like a soothsayer, and diviner, he thinketh that which he knoweth not. Eat and drink, will he say to thee: and his mind is not with thee.

7For as he thinketh in his soul, so is he. Eat and drink! will he say unto thee; but his heart is not with thee.

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

8The meats which thou hadst eaten, thou shalt vomit up: and shalt loose thy beautiful words.

8Thy morsel which thou hast eaten must thou vomit up, and thou wilt have wasted thy sweet words.

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

9Speak not in the ears of fools: because they will despise the instruction of thy speech.

9Speak not in the ears of a foolish [man], for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

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

10Touch not the bounds of little ones: and enter not into the field of the fatherless:

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

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

11For their near kinsman is strong: and he will judge their cause against thee.

11for their redeemer is mighty; he will plead their cause against thee.

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

12Let thy heart apply itself to instruction and thy ears to words of knowledge.

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

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

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

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

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

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

14thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from Sheol.

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

15My son, if thy mind be wise, my heart shall rejoice with thee:

15My son, if thy heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine;

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

16And my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips shall speak what is right.

16and my reins shall exult, when thy lips speak right things.

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

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

17Let not thy heart envy sinners, but [be thou] in the fear of Jehovah all the day;

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

18Because thou shalt have hope in the latter end, and thy expectation shall not be taken away.

18for surely there is a result, and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

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

19Hear thou, my son, and be wise: and guide thy mind in the way.

19Thou, my son, hear and be wise, and direct thy heart in the way.

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

20Be not in the feasts of great drinkers, nor in their revellings, who contribute flesh to eat:

20Be not among winebibbers, among riotous eaters of flesh.

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

21Because they that give themselves to drinking, and that club together, shall be consumed: and drowsiness shall be clothed with rags.

21For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; and drowsiness clotheth with rags.

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

22Hearken to thy father, that begot 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.

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

23Buy truth, and do not sell wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

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

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

24The father of the just rejoiceth greatly: he that hath begotten a wise son, shall have joy in him.

24The father of a righteous [man] shall greatly rejoice, and he that begetteth a wise [son] shall have joy of him:

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

25Let thy father and thy mother be joyful, and let her rejoice that bore thee.

25let thy father and thy mother have joy, and let her that bore thee rejoice.

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

26My son, give me thy heart: and let thy eyes keep my ways.

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

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

27For a harlot is a deep ditch: and a strange woman is a narrow pit.

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

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

28She lieth in wait in the way as a robber, and him whom she shall see unwary, she will kill.

28She also lieth in wait as a robber, and increaseth the treacherous among men.

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? whose father hath woe? who hath contentions? who falls into pits? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?

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

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

30Surely they that pass their time in wine, and study to drink off their cups.

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

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

31Look not upon the wine when it is yellow, when the colour thereof shineth in the glass: it goeth in pleasantly,

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

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

32But in the end, it will bite like a snake, and will spread abroad poison like a basilisk.

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

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

33Thy eyes shall behold strange women, and thy heart shall utter perverse things.

33Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thy heart shall speak froward things;

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.

34And thou shalt be as one sleeping in the midst of the sea, and as a pilot fast asleep when the stern is lost.

34and thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, and as he that lieth down upon the top of a mast:

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.

35And thou shalt say: They have beaten me, but I was not sensible of pain: they drew me, and I felt not: when shall I awake and find wine again?

35— “They have smitten me, [and] I am not sore; they have beaten me, [and] I knew it not. When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.”