Proverbs 23
Legacy Standard Bible
The Fear of Yahweh
23 When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
Understand well [a]what is before you,
2 So you should put a knife to your throat
If you are a (A)man of appetite.
3 Do not (B)desire his delicacies,
For it is bread of falsehood.
4 (C)Do not weary yourself to gain wealth,
(D)Because of your understanding, cease!
5 Do you make your eyes fly up to see it? But it is not there!
Because (E)it certainly makes itself wings
Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.
6 (F)Do not eat the bread of [b]a (G)selfish man,
And do not desire his delicacies;
7 For as he [c]calculates in his soul, so he is.
“Eat and drink!” he says to you,
But (H)his heart is not with you.
8 You will (I)vomit up [d]the morsel you have eaten,
And you will corrupt your pleasant words.
10 Do not move the ancient boundary
And do not (L)come into the fields of the orphans,
11 For their (M)Redeemer is strong;
(N)He will plead their case against you.
12 Bring your heart to discipline
And your ears to [f]words of knowledge.
13 (O)Do not withhold discipline from the child,
Although you [g]strike him with the rod, he will not die.
14 You shall [h]strike him with the rod
And (P)deliver his soul from Sheol.
15 My son, if your heart is (Q)wise,
My own heart also will be glad;
16 And my [i]inmost being will exult
When your lips speak (R)upright things.
17 (S)Do not let your heart be jealous of sinners,
But be zealous in the [j](T)fear of Yahweh [k]always.
18 Surely there is a [l](U)future,
And your (V)hope will not be cut off.
19 You, my son, listen and (W)be wise,
And (X)direct your heart in the way.
20 Do not be with (Y)heavy drinkers of wine,
Or with (Z)gluttonous eaters of meat;
21 For the (AA)heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty,
And (AB)drowsiness will clothe them with rags.
22 (AC)Listen to your father who begot you,
And (AD)do not despise your mother when she is old.
23 (AE)Buy truth, and do not sell it,
Get wisdom and discipline and understanding.
24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice,
And (AF)he who begets a wise son will be glad in him.
25 Let your (AG)father and your mother be glad,
And let her rejoice who gave birth to you.
26 (AH)Give your heart to me, my son,
And let your eyes [m](AI)delight in my ways.
27 For a harlot is a (AJ)deep pit
And [n]a (AK)foreign woman is a narrow well.
28 Surely she (AL)lies in wait as a robber,
And adds to the treacherous among men.
29 Who has (AM)woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has contentions? Who has complaining?
Who has wounds without cause?
Who has redness of eyes?
30 Those who (AN)linger long over wine,
Those who go to search out (AO)mixed wine.
31 Do not look on the wine when it glistens red,
When it [o]sparkles in the cup,
When it (AP)goes down smoothly;
32 At the end—like a serpent it (AQ)bites,
And like a (AR)viper it stings.
33 Your eyes will see strange things
And your heart will (AS)speak perverse things.
34 And you will be like one who lies down in the heart of the sea,
Or like one who lies down on the top of a [p]mast.
35 “They (AT)struck me, but I did not become [q]ill;
They beat me, but I did not know it.
When shall I awake?
I will (AU)seek yet another.”
Footnotes
- Proverbs 23:1 Or who
- Proverbs 23:6 Lit an evil eye
- Proverbs 23:7 Lit reckons in his soul
- Proverbs 23:8 Lit your
- Proverbs 23:9 Lit ears
- Proverbs 23:12 Lit sayings
- Proverbs 23:13 Lit smite
- Proverbs 23:14 Lit smite
- Proverbs 23:16 Lit kidneys
- Proverbs 23:17 Or reverence
- Proverbs 23:17 Lit all the day
- Proverbs 23:18 Lit latter end
- Proverbs 23:26 Or observe
- Proverbs 23:27 Or an adulterous, cf. Prov 2:16
- Proverbs 23:31 Lit gives its eye
- Proverbs 23:34 Or lookout
- Proverbs 23:35 From the effect of wounds
Proverbs 23
English Standard Version
23 When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
observe carefully what[a] is before you,
2 and put a knife to your throat
if you are given to appetite.
3 (A)Do not desire his delicacies,
for they are deceptive food.
4 (B)Do not toil to acquire wealth;
(C)be discerning enough to desist.
5 When your eyes light on it, it is gone,
(D)for suddenly it sprouts wings,
flying like an eagle toward heaven.
6 (E)Do not eat the bread of a man who is (F)stingy;[b]
(G)do not desire his delicacies,
7 for he is like one who is inwardly calculating.[c]
“Eat and drink!” he says to you,
but his (H)heart is not with you.
8 You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten,
and waste your pleasant words.
9 Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,
for he will despise the good sense of your words.
10 (I)Do not move an ancient landmark
or enter the fields of the fatherless,
11 for their (J)Redeemer is strong;
he will (K)plead their cause against you.
12 Apply your heart to instruction
and your ear to words of knowledge.
13 Do not withhold (L)discipline from a child;
(M)if you strike him with a rod, he will not die.
14 If you strike him with the rod,
you will (N)save his soul from Sheol.
15 (O)My son, if your heart is wise,
my heart too will be glad.
16 My (P)inmost being[d] will exult
when your lips speak (Q)what is right.
17 Let not your heart (R)envy sinners,
but continue in (S)the fear of the Lord all the day.
18 Surely (T)there is a future,
and your (U)hope will not be cut off.
19 Hear, my son, and (V)be wise,
and (W)direct your heart in the way.
20 Be not among (X)drunkards[e]
or among (Y)gluttonous eaters of meat,
21 for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty,
and (Z)slumber will clothe them with rags.
22 (AA)Listen to your father who gave you life,
(AB)and do not despise your mother when she is old.
23 (AC)Buy truth, and do not sell it;
buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
24 (AD)The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice;
he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.
25 (AE)Let your father and mother be glad;
let (AF)her who bore you rejoice.
26 My son, give me your heart,
and let your eyes observe[f] my ways.
27 For a prostitute is (AG)a deep pit;
(AH)an adulteress[g] is a narrow (AI)well.
28 (AJ)She lies in wait like a robber
and increases the traitors among mankind.
29 (AK)Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has strife? Who has complaining?
Who has (AL)wounds without cause?
Who has (AM)redness of eyes?
30 Those who (AN)tarry long over wine;
those who go to try (AO)mixed wine.
31 Do not look at wine when it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup
and goes down smoothly.
32 In the end it (AP)bites like a serpent
and stings like an adder.
33 Your eyes will see strange things,
and your heart utter (AQ)perverse things.
34 You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea,
like one who lies on the top of a mast.[h]
35 “They (AR)struck me,” you will say,[i] “but I was not hurt;
they beat me, but I did not feel it.
When shall I awake?
I (AS)must have another drink.”
Footnotes
- Proverbs 23:1 Or who
- Proverbs 23:6 Hebrew whose eye is evil
- Proverbs 23:7 Or for as he calculates in his soul, so is he
- Proverbs 23:16 Hebrew My kidneys
- Proverbs 23:20 Hebrew those who drink too much wine
- Proverbs 23:26 Or delight in
- Proverbs 23:27 Hebrew a foreign woman
- Proverbs 23:34 Or of the rigging
- Proverbs 23:35 Hebrew lacks you will say
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
