Proverbs 23:1-11
Proverbs 23:1-11 The Message (MSG)
When you go out to dinner with an influential person, mind your manners: Don’t gobble your food, don’t talk with your mouth full. And don’t stuff yourself; bridle your appetite. Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich; restrain yourself! Riches disappear in the blink of an eye; wealth sprouts wings and flies off into the wild blue yonder. Don’t accept a meal from a tightwad; don’t expect anything special. He’ll be as stingy with you as he is with himself; he’ll say, “Eat! Drink!” but won’t mean a word of it. His miserly serving will turn your stomach when you realize the meal’s a sham. Don’t bother talking sense to fools; they’ll only poke fun at your words. Don’t stealthily move back the boundary lines or cheat orphans out of their property, For they have a powerful Advocate who will go to bat for them.
Proverbs 23:1-11 King James Version (KJV)
When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, Consider diligently what is before thee: And put a knife to thy throat, If thou be a man given to appetite. Be not desirous of his dainties: For they are deceitful meat. Labour not to be rich: Cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away as an eagle toward heaven. Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, Neither desire thou his dainty meats: For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; But his heart is not with thee. The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, And lose thy sweet words. Speak not in the ears of a fool: For he will despise the wisdom of thy words. Remove not the old landmark; And enter not into the fields of the fatherless: For their redeemer is mighty; He shall plead their cause with thee.
Proverbs 23:1-11 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)
When you sit down to dine with a ruler, Consider carefully what is before you, And put a knife to your throat If you are a man of great appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, For it is deceptive food. Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, Cease from your consideration of it. When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens. Do not eat the bread of a selfish man, Or desire his delicacies; For as he thinks within himself, so he is. He says to you, “Eat and drink!” But his heart is not with you. You will vomit up the morsel you have eaten, And waste your compliments. Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, For he will despise the wisdom of your words. Do not move the ancient boundary Or go into the fields of the fatherless, For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their case against you.
Proverbs 23:1-11 New Century Version (NCV)
If you sit down to eat with a ruler, notice the food that is in front of you. Control yourself if you have a big appetite. Don’t be greedy for his fine foods, because that food might be a trick. Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich; be wise enough to control yourself. Wealth can vanish in the wink of an eye. It can seem to grow wings and fly away like an eagle. Don’t eat the food of selfish people; don’t be greedy for their fine foods. Selfish people are always worrying about how much the food costs. They tell you, “Eat and drink,” but they don’t really mean it. You will throw up the little you have eaten, and you will have wasted your kind words. Don’t speak to fools; they will only ignore your wise words. Don’t move an old stone that marks a border, and don’t take fields that belong to orphans. God, their defender, is strong; he will take their side against you.
Proverbs 23:1-11 American Standard Version (ASV)
When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, Consider diligently him that is before thee; And put a knife to thy throat, If thou be a man given to appetite. Be not desirous of his dainties; Seeing they are deceitful food. Weary not thyself to be rich; Cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings, Like an eagle that flieth toward heaven. Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, Neither desire thou his dainties: For as he thinketh within himself, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; But his heart is not with thee. The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, And lose thy sweet words. Speak not in the hearing of a fool; For he will despise the wisdom of thy words. Remove not the ancient landmark; And enter not into the fields of the fatherless: For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their cause against thee.
Proverbs 23:1-11 New International Version (NIV)
When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony. Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive. Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle. Do not eat the food of a begrudging host, do not crave his delicacies; for he is the kind of person who is always thinking about the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. You will vomit up the little you have eaten and will have wasted your compliments. Do not speak to fools, for they will scorn your prudent words. Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless, for their Defender is strong; he will take up their case against you.
Proverbs 23:1-11 New King James Version (NKJV)
When you sit down to eat with a ruler, Consider carefully what is before you; And put a knife to your throat If you are a man given to appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, For they are deceptive food. Do not overwork to be rich; Because of your own understanding, cease! Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven. Do not eat the bread of a miser, Nor desire his delicacies; For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you. The morsel you have eaten, you will vomit up, And waste your pleasant words. Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, For he will despise the wisdom of your words. Do not remove the ancient landmark, Nor enter the fields of the fatherless; For their Redeemer is mighty; He will plead their cause against you.
Proverbs 23:1-11 Amplified Bible (AMP)
When you sit down to dine with a ruler, Consider carefully what is [set] before you; For you will put a knife to your throat If you are a man of great appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, For it is deceptive food [offered to you with questionable motives]. ¶Do not weary yourself [with the overwhelming desire] to gain wealth; Cease from your own understanding of it. [Prov 28:20; 1 Tim 6:9, 10] When you set your eyes on wealth, it is [suddenly] gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings Like an eagle that flies to the heavens. ¶Do not eat the bread of a selfish man, Or desire his delicacies; For as he thinks in his heart, so is he [in behavior—one who manipulates]. He says to you, “Eat and drink,” Yet his heart is not with you [but it is begrudging the cost]. The morsel which you have eaten you will vomit up, And you will waste your compliments. ¶Do not speak in the ears of a fool, For he will despise the [godly] wisdom of your words. [Is 32:6] ¶Do not move the ancient landmark [at the boundary of the property] And do not go into the fields of the fatherless [to take what is theirs], [Deut 19:14; 27:17; Prov 22:28] For their Redeemer is strong and mighty; He will plead their case against you.
Proverbs 23:1-11 New Living Translation (NLT)
While dining with a ruler, pay attention to what is put before you. If you are a big eater, put a knife to your throat; don’t desire all the delicacies, for he might be trying to trick you. Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit. In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle. Don’t eat with people who are stingy; don’t desire their delicacies. They are always thinking about how much it costs. “Eat and drink,” they say, but they don’t mean it. You will throw up what little you’ve eaten, and your compliments will be wasted. Don’t waste your breath on fools, for they will despise the wisest advice. Don’t cheat your neighbor by moving the ancient boundary markers; don’t take the land of defenseless orphans. For their Redeemer is strong; he himself will bring their charges against you.
Proverbs 23:1-11 The Passion Translation (TPT)
When you’ve been invited to dine with a very important leader, consider your manners and keep in mind whom you’re with. Be careful to curb your appetite and catch yourself before you fall into the trap of wanting all you see. Don’t crave their delicacies, for they may have another motive in having you sit at their table. Don’t compare yourself to the rich. Surrender your selfish ambition and evaluate them properly. For no sooner do you start counting your wealth than it sprouts wings and flies away like an eagle in the sky— here today, gone tomorrow! Be sensible when you dine with a stingy man and don’t eat more than you should. For as he thinks within himself, so is he. He will grudgingly say, “Go ahead and eat all you want,” but in his heart he resents the fact that he has to pay for your meal. You’ll be sorry you ate anything at all, and all your compliments will be wasted. A rebellious fool will despise your wise advice, so don’t even waste your time—save your breath! Never move a long-standing boundary line or attempt to take land that belongs to the fatherless. For they have a mighty protector, a loving redeemer, who watches over them, and he will stand up for their cause.
Proverbs 23:1-11 English Standard Version Revision 2016 (ESV)
When you sit down to eat with a ruler, observe carefully what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are given to appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food. Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven. Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy; do not desire his delicacies, for he is like one who is inwardly calculating. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten, and waste your pleasant words. Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the good sense of your words. Do not move an ancient landmark or enter the fields of the fatherless, for their Redeemer is strong; he will plead their cause against you.