23:1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, Consider diligently him that is before thee;
23:1 When you sit down to dine with a ruler, Consider carefully what is before you;

23:2 And put a knife to thy throat, If thou be a man given to appetite.
23:2 And put a knife to your throat, If you are a man of [great] appetite.

23:3 Be not desirous of his dainties; Seeing they are deceitful food.
23:3 Do not desire his delicacies, For it is deceptive food.

23:4 Weary not thyself to be rich; Cease from thine own wisdom.
23:4 Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, Cease from your consideration [of it.]

23:5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For (riches) certainly make themselves wings, Like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.
23:5 When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For [wealth] certainly makes itself wings, Like an eagle that flies [toward] the heavens.

23:6 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, Neither desire thou his dainties:
23:6 Do not eat the bread of a selfish man, Or desire his delicacies;

23:7 For as he thinketh within himself, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; But his heart is not with thee.
23:7 For as he thinks within himself, so he is. He says to you, "Eat and drink!" But his heart is not with you.

23:8 The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, And lose thy sweet words.
23:8 You will vomit up the morsel you have eaten, And waste your compliments.

23:9 Speak not in the hearing of a fool; For he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
23:9 Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, For he will despise the wisdom of your words.

23:10 Remove not the ancient landmark; And enter not into the fields of the fatherless:
23:10 Do not move the ancient boundary, Or go into the fields of the fatherless;

23:11 For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their cause against thee.
23:11 For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their case against you.

23:12 Apply thy heart unto instruction, And thine ears to the words of knowledge.
23:12 Apply your heart to discipline, And your ears to words of knowledge.

23:13 Withhold not correction from the child; (For) if thou beat him with the rod, he will not die.
23:13 Do not hold back discipline from the child, Although you beat him with the rod, he will not die.

23:14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, And shalt deliver his soul from Sheol.
23:14 You shall beat him with the rod, And deliver his soul from Sheol.

23:15 My son, if thy heart be wise, My heart will be glad, even mine:
23:15 My son, if your heart is wise, My own heart also will be glad;

23:16 Yea, my heart will rejoice, When thy lips speak right things.
23:16 And my inmost being will rejoice, When your lips speak what is right.

23:17 Let not thy heart envy sinners; But (be thou) in the fear of Jehovah all the day long:
23:17 Do not let your heart envy sinners, But [live] in the fear of the LORD always.

23:18 For surely there is a reward; And thy hope shall not be cut off.
23:18 Surely there is a future, And your hope will not be cut off.

23:19 Hear thou, my son, and be wise, And guide thy heart in the way.
23:19 Listen, my son, and be wise, And direct your heart in the way.

23:20 Be not among winebibbers, Among gluttonous eaters of flesh:
23:20 Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine, [Or] with gluttonous eaters of meat;

23:21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; And drowsiness will clothe (a man) with rags.
23:21 For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe [a man] with rags.

23:22 Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, And despise not thy mother when she is old.
23:22 Listen to your father who begot you, And do not despise your mother when she is old.

23:23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; (Yea), wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
23:23 Buy truth, and do not sell [it,] [Get] wisdom and instruction and understanding.

23:24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; And he that begetteth a wise child will have joy of him.
23:24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who begets a wise son will be glad in him.

23:25 Let thy father and thy mother be glad, And let her that bare thee rejoice.
23:25 Let your father and your mother be glad, And let her rejoice who gave birth to you.

23:26 My son, give me thy heart; And let thine eyes delight in my ways.
23:26 Give me your heart, my son, And let your eyes delight in my ways.

23:27 For a harlot is a deep ditch; And a foreign woman is a narrow pit.
23:27 For a harlot is a deep pit, And an adulterous woman is a narrow well.

23:28 Yea, she lieth in wait as a robber, And increaseth the treacherous among men.
23:28 Surely she lurks as a robber, And increases the faithless among men.

23:29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? Who hath complaining? who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes?
23:29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?

23:30 They that tarry long at the wine; They that go to seek out mixed wine.
23:30 Those who linger long over wine, Those who go to taste mixed wine.

23:31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, When it sparkleth in the cup, When it goeth down smoothly:
23:31 Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it goes down smoothly;

23:32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, And stingeth like an adder.
23:32 At the last it bites like a serpent, And stings like a viper.

23:33 Thine eyes shall behold strange things, And thy heart shall utter perverse things.
23:33 Your eyes will see strange things, And your mind will utter perverse things.

23:34 Yea, 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.
23:34 And you will be like one who lies down in the middle of the sea, Or like one who lies down on the top of a mast.

23:35 They 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.
23:35 "They struck me, [but] I did not become ill; They beat me, [but] I did not know [it.] When shall I awake? I will seek another drink."