Proverbs 23
23
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. 3Be not desirous of his dainties; for they are deceitful food.
4Weary not thyself to become rich; cease from thine own intelligence: 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 food of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainties. 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. 8Thy morsel which thou hast eaten must thou vomit up, and thou wilt have wasted thy sweet words.
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: 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. 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. 15My son, if thy heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine; 16and my reins shall exult, when thy lips speak right things.
17Let not thy heart envy sinners, but be thou in the fear of Jehovah all the day; 18for surely there is a result, and thine expectation shall not be cut off.
19Thou, my son, hear and be wise, and direct thy heart in the way. 20Be not among winebibbers, among riotous eaters of flesh. 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. 23Buy the truth, and sell it not; wisdom, and instruction, and intelligence. 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 have joy, and let her that bore thee rejoice. 26My son, give me thy heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways. 27For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit. 28She also lieth in wait as a robber, and increaseth the treacherous among men.
29Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? Who contentions? Who complaining? Who wounds without cause? Who redness of eyes? 30— They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to try mixed wine. 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. 33Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thy heart shall speak froward things; 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: 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.’
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Proverbs 23: DARBY
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First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
Proverbs 23
23
1When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
pay close attention to what is in front of you,
2and put a knife to your throat if you have a big appetite.
3Do not crave his delicacies,
because this is food that deceives you.
4Do not wear yourself out getting rich.
Be smart enough to stop.
5Will you catch only a fleeting glimpse of wealth before it is gone?
It makes wings for itself like an eagle flying into the sky.
6Do not eat the food of one who is stingy,
and do not crave his delicacies.
7As he calculates the cost to himself, this is what he does:
He tells you, “Eat and drink,”
but he doesn’t really mean it.
8You will vomit the little bit you have eaten
and spoil your pleasant conversation.
9Do not talk directly to a fool,
because he will despise the wisdom of your words.
10Do not move an ancient boundary marker
or enter fields that belong to orphans,
11because the one who is responsible for them is strong.
He will plead their case against you.
Learning from Your Father
12Live a more disciplined life,
and listen carefully to words of knowledge.
13Do not hesitate to discipline a child.
If you spank him, he will not die.
14Spank him yourself,
and you will save his soul from hell.
15My son,
if you have a wise heart,
my heart will rejoice as well.
16My heart rejoices when you speak what is right.
17Do not envy sinners in your heart.
Instead, continue to fear the Lord.
18There is indeed a future,
and your hope will never be cut off.
19My son,
listen, be wise,
and keep your mind going in the right direction.
20Do not associate with those who drink too much wine,
with those who eat too much meat,
21because both a drunk and a glutton will become poor.
Drowsiness will dress a person in rags.
22Listen to your father since you are his son,
and do not despise your mother because she is old.
23Buy truth (and do not sell it),
⌞that is,⌟ buy wisdom, discipline, and understanding.
24A righteous person’s father will certainly rejoice.
Someone who has a wise son will enjoy him.
25May your father and your mother be glad.
May she who gave birth to you rejoice.
26My son,
give me your heart.
Let your eyes find happiness in my ways.
27A prostitute is a deep pit.
A loose woman is a narrow well.
28She is like a robber, lying in ambush.
She spreads unfaithfulness throughout society.
29Who has trouble?
Who has misery?
Who has quarrels?
Who has a complaint?
Who has wounds for no reason?
Who has bloodshot eyes?
30Those who drink glass after glass of wine
and mix it with everything.
31Do not look at wine
because it is red,
because it sparkles in the cup,
because it goes down smoothly.
32Later it bites like a snake
and strikes like a poisonous snake.
33Your eyes will see strange sights,
and your mouth will say embarrassing things.
34You will be like someone lying down in the middle of the sea
or like someone lying down on top of a ship’s mast, saying,
35“They strike me, but I feel no pain.
They beat me, but I’m not aware of it.
Whenever I wake up, I’m going to look for another drink.”
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.