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.”
Currently Selected:
Proverbs 23: GW
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 23
23
1When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
consider carefully what # Or who is before you,
2and put a knife to your throat
if you have a big # Lit you are the master of an appetite;
3don’t desire his choice food, # Gn 27:4; Pr 23:6; Dn 1:8
for that food is deceptive.
4Don’t wear yourself out to get rich; # Pr 15:27; 28:20; Mt 6:19; 1Tm 6:9-10; Heb 13:5
stop giving your attention to it.
5As soon as your eyes fly to it, it disappears, # Pr 27:24
for it makes wings for itself
and flies like an eagle to the sky.
6Don’t eat a stingy person’s bread, # Lit eat bread of an evil eye # Dt 15:9; Pr 28:22; Mt 6:23
and don’t desire his choice food, # Pr 23:3
7for it’s like someone calculating inwardly. # LXX reads it is like someone swallowing a hair in the throat # Mt 6:21; Lk 12:34
“Eat and drink,” he says to you,
but his heart is not with you. # Pr 26:24-25
8You will vomit the little you’ve eaten
and waste your pleasant words.
9Don’t speak to # Lit in the ears of a fool,
for he will despise the insight of your words. # Mt 7:6
10Don’t move an ancient boundary marker, # Pr 22:28
and don’t encroach on the fields of the fatherless,
11for their Redeemer is strong, # Jr 50:34
and He will take up their case against you. # Pr 22:22-23
12Apply yourself to discipline
and listen to words of knowledge.
13Don’t withhold discipline from a youth;
if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. # Pr 13:24; 19:18; 22:15
14Strike him with a rod,
and you will rescue his life from Sheol. # 1Co 5:5
15My son, if your heart is wise,
my heart will indeed rejoice. # Pr 10:1; 15:20; 23:24-25; 29:3
16My innermost being will cheer
when your lips say what is right. # Pr 8:6
17Don’t let your heart envy sinners; # Ps 37:1; Pr 24:1,19
instead, always fear the Lord. # Pr 28:14
18For then you will have a future,
and your hope will never fade. # Ps 9:18; Pr 10:28; 24:14; Jr 29:11
19Listen, my son, and be wise;
keep your mind on the right course.
20Don’t associate with those who drink too much wine # Pr 20:1; 23:29-30; Is 5:22; Mt 24:49; Lk 21:34; Rm 13:13; Eph 5:18
or with those who gorge themselves on meat. # Pr 28:7
21For the drunkard and the glutton will become poor,
and grogginess will clothe them in rags. # Pr 6:10-11
22Listen to your father who gave you life,
and don’t despise your mother when # Or because she is old. # Pr 1:8; 15:20; Eph 6:1
23Buy — and do not sell — truth,
wisdom, instruction, and understanding. # Pr 4:5,7; 16:16; 18:15; Mt 13:44
24The father of a righteous son will rejoice greatly,
and one who fathers a wise son will delight in him. # Pr 10:1; 23:15; 29:3
25Let your father and mother have joy, # Pr 27:11
and let her who gave birth to you rejoice.
26My son, give me your heart,
and let your eyes observe my ways.
27For a prostitute is a deep pit, # Pr 22:14
and a stranger is a narrow well;
28indeed, she sets an ambush like a robber # Pr 6:26; 7:12,22-23; Ec 7:26
and increases those among men who are unfaithful.
29Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has conflicts? Who has complaints?
Who has wounds for no reason? # Pr 23:35
Who has red eyes?
30Those who linger over wine,
those who go looking for mixed wine. # Is 5:11,22
31Don’t gaze at wine because it is red, # Eph 5:18
when it gleams in the cup
and goes down smoothly. # Sg 7:9
32In the end it bites like a snake
and stings like a viper.
33Your eyes will see strange things,
and you will say absurd things. # Or will speak perversities or inverted things # Is 28:7
34You’ll be like someone sleeping out at sea
or lying down on the top of a ship’s mast.
35“They struck me, but # LXX, Syr, Tg, Vg read me,” you will say, “But I feel no pain!
They beat me, but I didn’t know it! # Pr 23:29; Jr 5:3
When will I wake up?
I’ll look for another drink.” # Is 56:12
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
© 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.