Proverbs 23
23
1 WHEN YOU sit down to eat with a ruler, consider who and what are before you;
2 For you will put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to desire.
3 Be not desirous of his dainties, for it is deceitful food [offered with questionable motives].
4 Weary not yourself to be rich; cease from your own [human] wisdom. [Prov. 28:20; I Tim. 6:9, 10.]
5 Will you set your eyes upon wealth, when [suddenly] it is gone? For riches certainly make themselves wings, like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.
6 Eat not the bread of him who has a hard, grudging, and envious eye, neither desire his dainty foods;
7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. As one who reckons, he says to you, eat and drink, yet his heart is not with you [but is grudging the cost].
8 The morsel which you have eaten you will vomit up, and your complimentary words will be wasted.
9 Speak not in the ears of a [self-confident] fool, for he will despise the [godly] Wisdom of your words. [Isa. 32:6.]
10 Remove not the ancient landmark and enter not into the fields of the fatherless, [Deut. 19:14; 27:17; Prov. 22:28.]
11 For their Redeemer is mighty; He will plead their cause against you.
12 Apply your mind to instruction and correction and your ears to words of knowledge.
13 Withhold not discipline from the child; for if you strike and punish him with the [reedlike] rod, he will not die.
14 You shall whip him with the rod and deliver his life from Sheol (Hades, the place of the dead).
15 My son, if your heart is wise, my heart will be glad, even mine;
16 Yes, my heart will rejoice when your lips speak right things.
17 Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord all the day long.
18 For surely there is a latter end [a future and a reward], and your hope and expectation shall not be cut off.
19 Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your mind in the way [of the Lord].
20 Do not associate with winebibbers; be not among them nor among gluttonous eaters of meat, [Isa. 5:22; Luke 21:34; Rom. 13:13; Eph. 5:18.]
21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty, and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
22 Hearken to your father, who begot you, and despise not your mother when she is old.
23 Buy the truth and sell it not; not only that, but also get discernment and judgment, instruction and understanding.
24 The father of the [uncompromisingly] righteous (the upright, in right standing with God) shall greatly rejoice, and he who becomes the father of a wise child shall have joy in him.
25 Let your father and your mother be glad, and let her who bore you rejoice.
26 My son, give me your heart and let your eyes observe and delight in my ways,
27 For a harlot is a deep ditch, and a loose woman is a narrow pit.
28 She also lies in wait as a robber or as one waits for prey, and she increases the treacherous among men.
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness and dimness of eyes?
30 Those who tarry long at the wine, those who go to seek and try mixed wine. [Prov. 20:1; Eph. 5:18.]
31 Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the wineglass, when it goes down smoothly.
32 At the last it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder.
33 [Under the influence of wine] your eyes will behold strange things [and loose women] and your mind will utter things turned the wrong way [untrue, incorrect, and petulant].
34 Yes, you will be [as unsteady] as he who lies down in the midst of the sea, and [as open to disaster] as he who lies upon the top of a mast.
35 You will say, They struck me, but I was not hurt! They beat me [as with a hammer], but I did not feel it! When shall I awake? I will crave and seek more wine again [and escape reality].
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Proverbs 23: AMPC
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1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
Proverbs 23
23
1When you sit down for a meal with a ruler, look carefully at what is placed before you,
2and cut down#23:2. Literally, “put a knife to your throat.” if you have a big appetite.
3Don't be greedy for his fancy food, for it's offered with deceptive motives.#23:3. Literally, “for it is the bread of lies.”
4Don't wear yourself out trying to get rich—be wise enough not to bother!
5It disappears in the blink of an eye, suddenly growing wings and flying off into the sky like an eagle.
6Don't accept meal invitations from miserly people; don't be greedy for their fancy food,
7for what they're thinking inside is what they really are. They say, “Come on, eat and drink!”—but in their minds they don't really care about you.#23:7. Literally, “his heart is not with you.”
8You'll vomit up the little pieces you've eaten, and your kind words of appreciation will be wasted.
9Don't talk to stupid people because they'll ridicule your wise words.
10Don't move ancient boundary markers, and don't encroach on fields belonging to orphans,
11for their Protector#23:11. The word used here is the kinsman-redeemer who had the responsibility to marry a widowed relative and protect the family. See Leviticus 25 and Numbers 35. In this case it is applied to God. is powerful and he will plead their case against you.
12Focus your mind on instruction; listen intently to words of knowledge.
13Don't keep from disciplining your children—a beating won't kill them.
14If you use physical correction you can save them from death.#23:14. “Death” literally, “Sheol,” the place of the dead, the grave.
15My son, if you think wisely then I'll be happy;
16I'll be delighted when you say what's right.
17Don't think enviously of sinners, but always remember to honor the Lord,
18for there's definitely a future for you, and your hope will not be crushed.
19Pay attention, my son, and be wise; make sure your mind concentrates on following the right way.
20Don't join in with people who drink too much wine or who stuff themselves with meat.
21For people who get drunk and overeat lose all they've got, and they spend so much time dozing that all they have left to wear is rags.
22Pay attention to your father, and don't disregard your mother when she's old.
23Invest in truth—and don't sell it! Invest in wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
24Children who do right make their fathers very happy; a wise son brings joy to his father.
25Make your father and mother happy; bring joy to her who gave birth to you.
26My son, give me your undivided attention, and cheerfully follow my example.
27A prostitute is like being trapped in a pit; an immoral woman is like getting stuck a narrow well,
28Like a robber, she lies in wait ready to ambush men and make more of them unfaithful to their wives.
29Who's in trouble? Who's in pain? Who's arguing? Who's complaining? Who's injured for no reason? Who's got bloodshot eyes?
30—those who spend a long time drinking wine, those who are always trying some new cocktail.#23:30. “Cocktail”: literally “mixed drink.”
31Don't let the look of wine tempt you—how red it is, how it sparkles in the cup, how smooth it feels as it goes down.
32In the end it bites like a serpent, it stings like a snake.
33You'll hallucinate, seeing strange things, and your confused mind will make you say all kinds of craziness.
34You'll stumble around like you're on the rolling ocean, you'll be tossed about like someone lying down at the top of a ship's mast, saying,
35“People punched me, but it didn't hurt me; they beat me, but I didn't feel a thing. I've got to get up because I need another drink.”
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com