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Proverbs 23
English Standard Version
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
Proverbios 23
Palabra de Dios para Todos
Proverbios 23
Palabra de Dios para Todos
—6—
23 Cuando te sientes a comer con alguien importante,
recuerda bien con quién estás.
2 No te apresures a comer
aunque tengas mucha hambre.
3 No te llenes de los manjares que te ofrezcan
porque te pones en evidencia.
—7—
4 No arruines tu salud por las riquezas,
más bien sé sabio y deja esa obsesión.
5 En un momento las tienes y luego se esfuman;
vuelan tan rápido que parece que tuvieran alas como las águilas.
—8—
6 No te sientes a la mesa de un avaro
y aléjate de sus manjares,
7 porque así es la clase de gente que siempre piensa en el costo.
Así que aunque te diga: «Come y bebe»,
no es sincero contigo y
8 si comes de su comida te darán náuseas.
Terminarás vomitando todo
y la sobremesa será un fracaso.
—9—
9 No trates de enseñarle a un bruto,
pues se burlará de tus palabras sabias.
—10—
10 Nunca cambies los linderos antiguos,
ni invadas la tierra de los huérfanos
11 porque su Defensor es poderoso,
se pondrá en tu contra y los defenderá.
—11—
12 Concentra tu mente en la disciplina,
y tus oídos en aprender todo lo que puedas.
—12—
13 No te niegues a castigar al muchacho,
que unos cuantos azotes no lo van a matar;
14 dale unos azotes
y así lo librarás de la muerte.
—13—
15 Hijo mío si te haces sabio,
se me alegrará el corazón;
16 me sentiré muy feliz
si eres honesto en lo que dices.
—14—
17 No sientas envidia de los perversos
y haz todo lo posible por respetar al SEÑOR.
18 Siempre hay esperanza;
la esperanza nunca se acaba.
—15—
19 Así que escucha, hijo mío, y sé sabio;
preocúpate por vivir honestamente.
20 No te hagas amigo de los borrachos
ni te juntes con los comilones,
21 porque los borrachos y los comilones terminan en la ruina,
y los perezosos terminan vistiendo harapos.
—16—
22 Escucha lo que te dice tu papá, que te engendró;
respeta a tu mamá, aun cuando esté anciana.
23 Vale la pena invertir para obtener la verdad,
la sabiduría, el aprendizaje y el entendimiento;
invierte en ellos y no los vendas.
24 El papá del justo se llena de felicidad,
y el que tiene un hijo sabio se alegrará con él.
25 Entonces haz felices a tu papá y tu mamá;
¡que se llene de alegría la que te dio a luz!
—17—
26 Hijo mío, presta atención a lo que te digo
y fíjate en el ejemplo que te doy;
27 porque la mujer de otro, la prostituta,
es como un pozo profundo y estrecho;
28 se pone al acecho como un ladrón,
y hace que los hombres se conviertan en pecadores.
—18—
29 ¿Quién se queja? ¿A quién le duele?
¿Quién se mete en líos? ¿Quién gime?
¿Quién es herido sin razón?
¿Quién tiene los ojos morados?
30 El que vive pegado a la botella de vino
y anda mezclando bebidas.
31 Así que no te fijes en lo rojo que se pone el vino,
ni como brilla en la copa ni como baja suavemente;
32 porque al final muerde como una serpiente,
echa veneno como una víbora.
33 El vino te hará ver alucinaciones
e imaginar porquerías;
34 sentirás como si estuvieras en medio del mar,
recostado en lo alto del palo mayor.
35 Y dirás: «No sentí cuando me golpearon,
me dieron una paliza y ni cuenta me di;
pero cuando me despierte iré por otro trago».
Proverbs 23
New International Version
Proverbs 23
New International Version
Saying 7
23 When you sit to dine with a ruler,
note well what[a] is before you,
2 and put a knife to your throat
if you are given to gluttony.
3 Do not crave his delicacies,(A)
for that food is deceptive.
Saying 8
4 Do not wear yourself out to get rich;
do not trust your own cleverness.
5 Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone,(B)
for they will surely sprout wings
and fly off to the sky like an eagle.(C)
Saying 9
6 Do not eat the food of a begrudging host,
do not crave his delicacies;(D)
7 for he is the kind of person
who is always thinking about the cost.[b]
“Eat and drink,” he says to you,
but his heart is not with you.
8 You will vomit up the little you have eaten
and will have wasted your compliments.
Saying 10
9 Do not speak to fools,
for they will scorn your prudent words.(E)
Saying 11
10 Do not move an ancient boundary stone(F)
or encroach on the fields of the fatherless,
11 for their Defender(G) is strong;(H)
he will take up their case against you.(I)
Saying 12
12 Apply your heart to instruction(J)
and your ears to words of knowledge.
Saying 13
13 Do not withhold discipline from a child;
if you punish them with the rod, they will not die.
14 Punish them with the rod
and save them from death.(K)
Saying 14
15 My son, if your heart is wise,
then my heart will be glad indeed;
16 my inmost being will rejoice
when your lips speak what is right.(L)
Saying 15
17 Do not let your heart envy(M) sinners,
but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord.
18 There is surely a future hope for you,
and your hope will not be cut off.(N)
Saying 16
19 Listen, my son,(O) and be wise,
and set your heart on the right path:
20 Do not join those who drink too much wine(P)
or gorge themselves on meat,
21 for drunkards and gluttons become poor,(Q)
and drowsiness clothes them in rags.
Saying 17
22 Listen to your father, who gave you life,
and do not despise your mother when she is old.(R)
23 Buy the truth and do not sell it—
wisdom, instruction and insight as well.(S)
24 The father of a righteous child has great joy;
a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him.(T)
25 May your father and mother rejoice;
may she who gave you birth be joyful!(U)
Saying 18
26 My son,(V) give me your heart
and let your eyes delight in my ways,(W)
27 for an adulterous woman is a deep pit,(X)
and a wayward wife is a narrow well.
28 Like a bandit she lies in wait(Y)
and multiplies the unfaithful among men.
Saying 19
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has strife? Who has complaints?
Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?
30 Those who linger over wine,(Z)
who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.
31 Do not gaze at wine when it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup,
when it goes down smoothly!
32 In the end it bites like a snake
and poisons like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange sights,
and your mind will imagine confusing things.
34 You will be like one sleeping on the high seas,
lying on top of the rigging.
35 “They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt!
They beat me, but I don’t feel it!
When will I wake up
so I can find another drink?”(AA)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 23:1 Or who
- Proverbs 23:7 Or for as he thinks within himself, / so he is; or for as he puts on a feast, / so he is
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Palabra de Dios para Todos (PDT)
© 2005, 2015 Bible League International
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.