Proverbs 22:17-23:9

Contemporary English Version

Thirty Wise Sayings

¹⁷Here are some sayings
    of people with wisdom,
so listen carefully
    as I teach.
¹⁸You will be glad
that you know these sayings
    and can recite them.
¹⁹I am teaching them today,
so that you
    may trust the Lord.
²⁰I have written thirty sayings
    filled with sound advice.
²¹You can trust them completely
to give you the right words
    for those in charge of you.

–1–

²²Don't take advantage
of the poor
or cheat them in court.
²³The Lord is their defender,
and what you do to them,
he will do to you.

–2–

²⁴Don't make friends with anyone
who has a bad temper.
²⁵You might turn out like them
and get caught in a trap.

–3–

²⁶Don't guarantee to pay
someone else's debt.
²⁷If you don't have the money,
you might lose your bed.

–4–

²⁸Don't move a boundary marker^[a]
set up by your ancestors.

–5–

²⁹If you do your job well,
you will work for a ruler
and never be a slave.

–6–

23 When you are invited
to eat with a king,
    use your best manners.
²Don't go and stuff yourself!
That would be just the same
    as cutting your throat.
³Don't be greedy for all
of that fancy food!
    It may not be so tasty.

–7–

⁴Give up trying so hard
    to get rich.
⁵Your money flies away
    before you know it,
just like an eagle
    suddenly taking off.

–8–

⁶Don't accept an invitation
to eat a selfish person's food,
    no matter how good it is.
⁷People like that take note
    of how much you eat.^[b]
They say, “Take all you want!”
    But they don't mean it.
⁸Each bite will come back up,
and all your kind words
    will be wasted.

–9–

⁹Don't talk to fools—
they will make fun of you.

Footnotes

22.28 marker: In ancient Israel boundary lines were sacred because all property was a gift from the Lord (see Deuteronomy 19.14).
23.7 People … eat: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.