Proverbs 23
Holman Christian Standard Bible
23 When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
consider carefully what[a] is before you,
2 and put a knife to your throat
if you have a big[b] appetite;
3 don’t desire his choice food,(A)
for that food is deceptive.
4 Don’t wear yourself out to get rich;(B)
stop giving your attention to it.
5 As soon as your eyes fly to it, it disappears,(C)
for it makes wings for itself
and flies like an eagle to the sky.
6 Don’t eat a stingy person’s bread,[c](D)
and don’t desire his choice food,(E)
7 for it’s like someone calculating inwardly.[d](F)
“Eat and drink,” he says to you,
but his heart is not with you.(G)
8 You will vomit the little you’ve eaten
and waste your pleasant words.
10 Don’t move an ancient boundary marker,(I)
and don’t encroach on the fields of the fatherless,
11 for their Redeemer is strong,(J)
and He will take up their case against you.(K)
12 Apply yourself to discipline
and listen to words of knowledge.
13 Don’t withhold discipline from a youth;
if you beat him with a rod, he will not die.(L)
14 Strike him with a rod,
and you will rescue his life from Sheol.(M)
15 My son, if your heart is wise,
my heart will indeed rejoice.(N)
16 My innermost being will cheer
when your lips say what is right.(O)
17 Don’t let your heart envy sinners;(P)
instead, always fear the Lord.(Q)
18 For then you will have a future,
and your hope will never fade.(R)
19 Listen, my son, and be wise;
keep your mind on the right course.
20 Don’t associate with those who drink too much wine(S)
or with those who gorge themselves on meat.(T)
21 For the drunkard and the glutton will become poor,
and grogginess will clothe them in rags.(U)
22 Listen to your father who gave you life,
and don’t despise your mother when[f] she is old.(V)
23 Buy—and do not sell—truth,
wisdom, instruction, and understanding.(W)
24 The father of a righteous son will rejoice greatly,
and one who fathers a wise son will delight in him.(X)
25 Let your father and mother have joy,(Y)
and let her who gave birth to you rejoice.
26 My son, give me your heart,
and let your eyes observe my ways.
27 For a prostitute is a deep pit,(Z)
and a stranger is a narrow well;
28 indeed, she sets an ambush like a robber(AA)
and increases those among men who are unfaithful.
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has conflicts? Who has complaints?
Who has wounds for no reason?(AB)
Who has red eyes?
30 Those who linger over wine,
those who go looking for mixed wine.(AC)
31 Don’t gaze at wine because it is red,(AD)
when it gleams in the cup
and goes down smoothly.(AE)
32 In the end it bites like a snake
and stings like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange things,
and you will say absurd things.[g](AF)
34 You’ll be like someone sleeping out at sea
or lying down on the top of a ship’s mast.
35 “They struck me, but[h] I feel no pain!
They beat me, but I didn’t know it!(AG)
When will I wake up?
I’ll look for another drink.”(AH)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 23:1 Or who
- Proverbs 23:2 Lit you are the master of an
- Proverbs 23:6 Lit eat bread of an evil eye
- Proverbs 23:7 LXX reads it is like someone swallowing a hair in the throat
- Proverbs 23:9 Lit in the ears of
- Proverbs 23:22 Or because
- Proverbs 23:33 Or will speak perversities or inverted things
- Proverbs 23:35 LXX, Syr, Tg, Vg read me,” you will say, “But
Proverbs 23
International Standard Version
Things to Avoid in Life
23 Whenever you sit down to dine with a ruler,
carefully think about what is before you.
2 Put a knife to your own throat,
if you have a big appetite.[a]
3 Don’t crave his delicacies,
because the meal is deceptive.
4 Don’t exhaust yourself acquiring wealth;
be smart enough to stop.
5 When you fix your gaze on it, it’s gone,
for it sprouts wings for itself
and flies to the sky like an eagle.
6 Don’t consume food provided by a miserly[b] person,
and don’t desire his delicacies,
7 for as he thinks within himself, so he is.
“Eat and drink!” he’ll say to you,
but his heart won’t be with you.
8 You’ll vomit up what little you’ve eaten,
and your compliments will have been wasted.
9 Don’t speak when a fool is listening,
because he’ll despise your wise words.
10 Don’t move ancient boundaries
or invade fields belonging to orphans;
11 for strong is their Redeemer
who will take up their case against you.
12 Learn diligently,
and listen to words of knowledge.
13 Don’t withhold discipline from a child;
if you punish him with a rod,
he won’t die.
14 Punish him with a rod,
and you will rescue his soul from Sheol.[c]
On Listening to Your Parents
15 My son, if your heart is wise,
my own heart will greatly rejoice.
16 My innermost being will be glad
when your lips speak what is right.
17 Never let yourself envy sinners;
instead, remain[d] in fear of the Lord every day,
18 for there is surely a future life,
and what you hope for will not be cut off.
19 Listen, my son, and be wise,
commit yourself to live God’s[e] way.
20 Don’t associate with heavy drinkers
or dine with gluttons,
21 because drunks and gluttons tend to become poor,
and drowsiness will clothe them in rags.
22 Listen to the one who fathered you,
and don’t despise your mother in her old age.
23 Purchase truth, but don’t sell it;
store up[f] wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
24 The father of a righteous person will greatly rejoice;
whoever fathers a wise son will be glad because of him.
25 Let your father and mother rejoice;
make the one who gave birth to you happy.
26 Give me your heart, my son,
and keep your eyes fixed on my ways,
27 because a prostitute is a deep pit,
and the adulterous[g] woman a narrow well.
28 Surely she lies in wait like a bandit,
increasing those who are faithless among mankind.
On Sobriety
29 Who has woe? Who has grief?
Who has contention? Who has complaints?
Who has wounds without cause?
Who has bloodshot eyes?
30 Those who linger over their wine,
who consume mixed drinks.
31 Don’t stare into red wine,
when it sparkles in the cup
and goes down smoothly.
32 Eventually it will bite like a snake
and sting like a serpent.
33 Your eyes will see strange things,
and with slurred words you’ll speak what you really believe.
34 You will be like someone who lies down in the sea,
or like someone who sleeps on top of a mast.
35 “They struck me,” you will say,[h]
“but I never felt it.
They beat me,
but I never knew it.
When will I wake up?
I want another drink.”
Footnotes
- Proverbs 23:2 Lit. a master of an appetite
- Proverbs 23:6 Lit. by the evil eyed
- Proverbs 23:14 I.e. the realm of the dead
- Proverbs 23:17 The Heb. lacks remain
- Proverbs 23:19 Lit. live in the
- Proverbs 23:23 The Heb. lacks store up
- Proverbs 23:27 Lit. foreign
- Proverbs 23:35 The Heb. lacks you will say
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