Proverbs 23

¹When you sit down to dine with a ruler,

consider carefully what ^a is before you,

²and put a knife to your throat

if you have a big ^b appetite;

³don’t desire his choice food, ^c

for that food is deceptive.

⁴Don’t wear yourself out to get rich; ^d

because you know better, stop!

⁵As soon as your eyes fly to it, it disappears, ^e

for it makes wings for itself

and flies like an eagle to the sky.

⁶Don’t eat a stingy person’s bread, ^f,^g

and don’t desire his choice food, ^h

⁷for it’s like someone calculating inwardly. ⁱ,^j

“Eat and drink,” he says to you,

but his heart is not with you. ^k

⁸You will vomit the little you’ve eaten

and waste your pleasant words.

⁹Don’t speak to ^l a fool,

for he will despise the insight of your words. ^m

¹⁰Don’t move an ancient boundary marker, ⁿ

and don’t encroach on the fields of the fatherless,

¹¹for their Redeemer is strong, ^o

and he will champion their cause against you. ^p

¹²Apply yourself to discipline

and listen to words of knowledge.

¹³Don’t withhold discipline from a youth;

if you punish him with a rod, he will not die. ^q

¹⁴Punish him with a rod,

and you will rescue his life from Sheol. ^r

¹⁵My son, if your heart is wise,

my heart will indeed rejoice. ^s

¹⁶My innermost being will celebrate

when your lips say what is right. ^t

¹⁷Don’t let your heart envy sinners; ^u

instead, always fear the Lord. ^v

¹⁸For then you will have a future,

and your hope will not be dashed. ^w

¹⁹Listen, my son, and be wise;

keep your mind on the right course.

²⁰Don’t associate with those who drink too much wine ^x

or with those who gorge themselves on meat. ^y

²¹For the drunkard and the glutton will become poor,

and grogginess will clothe them in rags. ^z

²²Listen to your father who gave you life,

and don’t despise your mother when ^aa she is old. ^ab

²³Buy #— #and do not sell #— #truth,

wisdom, instruction, and understanding. ^ac

²⁴The father of a righteous son will rejoice greatly,

and one who fathers a wise son will delight in him. ^ad

²⁵Let your father and mother have joy, ^ae

and let her who gave birth to you rejoice.

²⁶My son, give me your heart,

and let your eyes observe my ways.

²⁷For a prostitute is a deep pit, ^af

and a wayward woman is a narrow well;

²⁸indeed, she sets an ambush like a robber ^ag

and increases the number of unfaithful people.

²⁹Who has woe? Who has sorrow?

Who has conflicts? Who has complaints?

Who has wounds for no reason? ^ah

Who has red eyes?

³⁰Those who linger over wine;

those who go looking for mixed wine. ^ai

³¹Don’t gaze at wine because it is red, ^aj

because it gleams in the cup

and goes down smoothly. ^ak

³²In the end it bites like a snake

and stings like a viper.

³³Your eyes will see strange things,

and you will say absurd things. ^al,^am

³⁴You’ll be like someone sleeping out at sea

or lying down on the top of a ship’s mast.

³⁵“They struck me, but ^an I feel no pain!

They beat me, but I didn’t know it! ^ao

When will I wake up?

I’ll look for another drink.” ^ap