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20 Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler,
    and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.(A)

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20 Wine is a mocker; beer a carouser.
    Those it leads astray won’t become wise.

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17 Whoever loves pleasure will suffer want;
    whoever loves wine and oil will not be rich.

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17 Those who love pleasure end up poor;
    lovers of wine and oil won’t get rich.

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20 Do not be among winebibbers
    or among gluttonous eaters of meat,(A)
21 for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty,
    and drowsiness will clothe them with rags.(B)

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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.

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29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
    Who has strife? Who has complaining?
Who has wounds without cause?
    Who has redness of eyes?(A)
30 Those who linger late over wine,
    those who keep trying mixed wines.(B)
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.(C)
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.[a]
35 “They struck me,” you will say,[b] “but I was not hurt;
    they beat me, but I did not feel it.
When shall I awake?
    I will seek another drink.”(D)

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Footnotes

  1. 23.34 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  2. 23.35 Gk Syr Vg Tg: Heb lacks you will say

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[a]
    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!”

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:34 Or in the heart of the sea

It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
    it is not for kings to drink wine
    or for rulers to desire[a] strong drink,(A)
lest they drink and forget what has been decreed
    and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
Give strong drink to one who is perishing
    and wine to those in bitter distress;
let them drink and forget their poverty
    and remember their misery no more.

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Footnotes

  1. 31.4 Cn: Heb where

It isn’t for kings, Lemuel,
    it isn’t for kings to drink wine,
    for rulers to crave[a] strong drink.
Otherwise, they will drink and forget the law,
    and violate the rights of the needy.
Give strong drink to those who are perishing
    and wine to those whose hearts are bitter.
Let them drink and forget their poverty
    and no longer remember their toil.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 31:4 Or where or or