23 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler,
Consider diligently ^[a]him that is before thee;
^2 [b]And put a knife to thy throat,
If thou be a man given to appetite.
³ Be not desirous of his dainties;
Seeing they are deceitful food.

⁶ Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye,
Neither desire thou his dainties:
⁷ For ^[a]as he thinketh within himself, so is he:
Eat and drink, saith he to thee;
But his heart is not with thee.
⁸ The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up,
And lose thy sweet words.
⁹ Speak not in the hearing of a fool;
For he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

⁶ He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool
Cutteth off his own feet, and drinketh in damage.

^10 [a]As an archer that woundeth all,
So is he that hireth a fool and he that hireth them that pass by.

²⁴ He that hateth dissembleth with his lips;
But he layeth up deceit within him:
²⁵ When he speaketh fair, believe him not;
For there are seven abominations in his heart:
²⁶ Though his hatred cover itself with guile,
His wickedness shall be openly showed before the assembly.
²⁷ Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein;
And he that rolleth a stone, it shall return upon him.
²⁸ A lying tongue hateth those whom it hath ^[a]wounded;
And a flattering mouth worketh ruin.

⁶ Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
But the kisses of an enemy are profuse.

⁵ A man that flattereth his neighbor
Spreadeth a net for his steps.