23 你若与官长同席,
    要注意面对的是谁。
如果你是贪吃的人,
    就要节制食欲[a]
不可贪恋他的美食,
    这美食是圈套。

别为钱财耗尽心力,
    要明智,适可而止。
钱财眨眼之间消逝无踪,
    它必长出翅膀如鹰飞去。
不要吃吝啬人的饭,
    不可贪图他的美味。
因为他总是精于算计,
    嘴上说“请吃,请喝”,
    心里却另有盘算。
你必呕出所吃的那点饭,
    你说的美言都必枉费。

不要和愚人说话,
    他必藐视你的智言。
10 不可挪移古时的界石,
    不可侵占孤儿的田地。
11 因他们的救赎主强大,
    祂必对付你,替他们申冤。
12 你要专心接受教诲,
    侧耳倾听智言。
13 不要疏于管教孩子,
    杖责不会使他毙命,
14 杖责能救他脱离死亡。
15 孩子啊,
    你若心里有智慧,
    我心里也会欢喜。
16 你的口若说正直的话,
    我的内心也欢畅不已。
17 不要心里羡慕罪人,
    要终日敬畏耶和华。
18 这样,你必前途光明,
    你的盼望不会幻灭。
19 孩子啊,听我的话,
    要有智慧,心守正道。
20 不要结交酒肉朋友,
21 因为好酒贪吃者必穷困,
    贪睡的人必穿破衣烂衫。
22 要听从生养你的父亲,
    不可轻视年老的母亲。
23 要买真理、智慧、教诲和悟性,
    不可卖掉。
24 义人的父亲喜乐无限,
    智慧之子使父母欢欣。
25 你要使父母快乐,
    叫生你的人欢欣。
26 孩子啊,把你的心交给我,
    欢然走我的道路。
27 妓女是深坑,淫妇是陷阱;
28 她像强盗般埋伏,
    使世间增添奸徒。
29 谁有灾祸?谁有忧伤?
    谁有争吵?谁有怨言?
    谁无故受伤?谁两眼发红?
30 就是那些沉迷醉乡,
    品尝醇和之酒的人!
31 虽然鲜红的酒在杯中闪烁,
    喝下去痛快,但不要盯着它。
32 它终必像蛇一样伤你,
    像毒蛇一样咬你。
33 你的眼会看见怪异的景象,
    你会神智不清,胡言乱语。
34 你好像躺在怒海中,
    又像卧在桅杆顶上。
35 你会说:“人打我,我不痛;
    人揍我,我不知。
    什么时候醒了,再干一杯!”

Footnotes

  1. 23:2 节制食欲”希伯来文是“把刀放在喉咙上”。

23 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.

10 Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:

11 For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.

12 Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.

13 Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.

14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.

15 My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.

16 Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.

17 Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.

18 For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

19 Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.

20 Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:

21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

22 Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.

23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

24 The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.

25 Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.

26 My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.

27 For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.

28 She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.

29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?

30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.

31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.

33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.

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.

35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

23 When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
    carefully consider what is in front of you.
Place a knife at your throat
    to control your appetite.
Don’t long for the ruler’s delicacies;
    the food misleads.

Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich;
    be smart enough to stop.
When your eyes fly to wealth
    it is gone; it grows wings
    like an eagle and flies heavenward.

Don’t eat food with stingy people;
    don’t long for their delicacies,
    because they are like a hair in the throat.[a]
They say to you, “Eat and drink!”
    but they don’t mean it.
You will eat scraps and vomit them out.
    You will waste your pleasant words.
Don’t speak in the ears of fools,
    for they will scorn your insightful words.

10 Don’t remove an ancient boundary marker;
    don’t invade the fields of orphans,
11     for their redeemer is strong.
    He will bring charges against you.

12 Bring your mind to instruction,
    your ear to knowledgeable sayings.

13 Don’t withhold instruction from children;
    if you strike them with a rod, they won’t die.
14 Strike them with a rod,
    and you will save their lives from the grave.[b]

15 My child, if your heart is wise,
    then my heart too will be happy.
16 My inner being will rejoice
    when your lips speak with integrity.

17 Don’t let your heart envy sinners,
    but fear the Lord constantly;
18         then you will have a future,
        and your hope won’t be cut off.

19 Listen, my child, and be wise!
    Keep your mind straight on the path.
20 Don’t hang out with those who get drunk on wine
    or those who eat too much meat,
21     because drunks and gluttons will be impoverished;
    their stupor will clothe them in rags.

22 Listen to your father, who gave you life;
    don’t despise your elderly mother.
23 Buy truth and don’t sell it;
    buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
24 The father of the righteous will be very happy;
    the one who gives life to the wise will rejoice.
25 Your father and your mother will rejoice;
    she who gave you birth will be happy.

26 My child, give your mind to me
    and let your eyes keep to my path.
27 A prostitute is a deep pit,
    and a foreign woman is a narrow well.
28 Indeed, she ambushes like a robber
    and increases the number of the faithless.

29 Who is suffering?
    Who is uneasy?
    Who has arguments?
    Who has complaints?
    Who has unnecessary wounds?
    Who has glazed eyes?—
30         those who linger over wine;
        those who go looking for mixed wine.
31 Don’t look at wine when it is red,
    when it sparkles in the cup,
    going down smoothly.
32 In the end, it bites like a snake
    and poisons like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange things,
    and your heart will speak distorted words.
34 You will be like one who lies down while out on the sea[c]
    or one who lies on top of a mast.
35 “Though hit, I feel no pain;
    though beaten up, I don’t know anything about it.
When I wake up,
    I’ll look for wine again!”

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:7 LXX; Heb uncertain
  2. Proverbs 23:14 Heb Sheol
  3. Proverbs 23:34 Or in the heart of the sea

Listen to Your Father

23 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.

(A)Do not overwork to be rich;
(B)Because of your own understanding, cease!
[a]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 (C)a[b] miser,
Nor desire his delicacies;
For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
“Eat and drink!” (D)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.

(E)Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,
For he will despise the wisdom of your words.

10 Do not remove the ancient [c]landmark,
Nor enter the fields of the fatherless;
11 (F)For their Redeemer is mighty;
He will plead their cause against you.

12 Apply your heart to instruction,
And your ears to words of knowledge.

13 (G)Do not withhold correction from a child,
For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die.
14 You shall beat him with a rod,
And deliver his soul from [d]hell.

15 My son, if your heart is wise,
My heart will rejoice—indeed, I myself;
16 Yes, my [e]inmost being will rejoice
When your lips speak right things.

17 (H)Do not let your heart envy sinners,
But (I)be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day;
18 (J)For surely there is a [f]hereafter,
And your hope will not be cut off.

19 Hear, my son, and be wise;
And guide your heart in the way.
20 (K)Do not mix with winebibbers,
Or with gluttonous eaters of meat;
21 For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty,
And drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.

22 (L)Listen to your father who begot you,
And do not despise your mother when she is old.

23 (M)Buy the truth, and do not sell it,
Also wisdom and instruction and understanding.

24 (N)The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice,
And he who begets a wise child will delight 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 my ways.
27 (O)For a harlot is a deep pit,
And a seductress is a narrow well.
28 (P)She also lies in wait as for a victim,
And increases the unfaithful among men.

29 (Q)Who has woe?
Who has sorrow?
Who has contentions?
Who has complaints?
Who has wounds without cause?
Who (R)has redness of eyes?
30 (S)Those who linger long at the wine,
Those who go in search of (T)mixed wine.
31 Do not look on the wine when it is red,
When it sparkles in the cup,
When it [g]swirls around smoothly;
32 At the last it bites like a serpent,
And stings like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange things,
And your heart will utter perverse things.
34 Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the [h]midst of the sea,
Or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying:
35 “They(U) have struck me, but I was not hurt;
They have beaten me, but I did not feel it.
When shall (V)I awake, that I may seek another drink?

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:5 Lit. Will you cause your eyes to fly upon it and it is not?
  2. Proverbs 23:6 Lit. one who has an evil eye
  3. Proverbs 23:10 boundary
  4. Proverbs 23:14 Or Sheol
  5. Proverbs 23:16 Lit. kidneys
  6. Proverbs 23:18 Future, lit. latter end
  7. Proverbs 23:31 goes around
  8. Proverbs 23:34 Lit. heart