Proverbs 23
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
23 When you sit down to eat with an official,
observe carefully what[a] is before you,
2 and put a knife to your throat
if you have a big appetite.
3 Do not desire an official’s[b] delicacies,
for they are deceptive food.(A)
4 Do not wear yourself out to get rich;
be wise enough to desist.(B)
5 When your eyes light upon it, it is gone,
for suddenly it takes wings to itself,
flying like an eagle toward heaven.
6 Do not eat the bread of the stingy;
do not desire their delicacies,(C)
7 for like a hair in the throat, so are they.[c]
“Eat and drink!” they say to you,
but they do not mean it.(D)
8 You will vomit up the little you have eaten,
and you will waste your pleasant words.
9 Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,
who will only despise the wisdom of your words.(E)
10 Do not remove an ancient landmark
or encroach on the fields of orphans,(F)
11 for their vindicator[d] is strong;
he will plead their cause against you.(G)
12 Apply your mind to instruction
and your ear to words of knowledge.(H)
13 Do not withhold discipline from your children;
if you beat them with a rod, they will not die.(I)
14 If you beat them with the rod,
you will save their lives from Sheol.
15 My child, if your heart is wise,
my heart also will be glad.
16 My soul will rejoice
when your lips speak what is right.
17 Do not let your heart envy sinners,
but always continue in the fear of the Lord.(J)
18 Surely there is a future,
and your hope will not be cut off.
19 Hear, my child, and be wise,
and direct your mind in the way.
20 Do not be among winebibbers
or among gluttonous eaters of meat,(K)
21 for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty,
and drowsiness will clothe them with rags.(L)
22 Listen to your father who begot you,
and do not despise your mother when she is old.(M)
23 Buy truth, and do not sell it;
buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.(N)
24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice;
he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.(O)
25 Let your father and mother be glad;
let her who bore you rejoice.
26 My child, give me your heart,
and let your eyes observe[e] my ways.(P)
27 For a prostitute is a deep pit;
an adulteress[f] is a narrow well.(Q)
28 She lies in wait like a robber
and increases the number of the faithless.(R)
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has strife? Who has complaining?
Who has wounds without cause?
Who has redness of eyes?(S)
30 Those who linger late over wine,
those who keep trying mixed wines.(T)
31 Do not look at wine when it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup
and goes down smoothly.
32 At the last it bites like a serpent
and stings like an adder.
33 Your eyes will see strange things,
and your mind utter perverse things.(U)
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.[g]
35 “They struck me,” you will say,[h] “but I was not hurt;
they beat me, but I did not feel it.
When shall I awake?
I will seek another drink.”(V)
Proverbs 23
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)
because you know better, stop!
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 champion their cause against you.(K)
12 Apply yourself to discipline
and listen to words of knowledge.
13 Don’t withhold discipline from a youth;
if you punish him with a rod, he will not die.(L)
14 Punish 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 celebrate
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 not be dashed.(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 wayward woman is a narrow well;
28 indeed, she sets an ambush like a robber(AA)
and increases the number of unfaithful people.
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)
because 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
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.