23:1 When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
consider carefully¹ that which is before you,
23:2 and put a knife to your throat²
if you are possess a large appetite.³
23:3 Do not crave his delicacies
for⁴ that food is deceptive.⁵
23:4 Do not wear yourself out to become rich;
from your own understanding restrain yourself.⁶
23:5 Take a quick look at riches,⁷ and they are gone,
for they surely make wings for themselves
and like an eagle fly off to the sky.⁸
23:6 Do not eat the food of a stingy person,⁹
do not crave his delicacies;
23:7 for as he has calculated in his mind,¹⁰ so is he;¹¹
“Eat and drink,” he says to you,
but his heart is not with you.
23:8 You will vomit up¹² the little bit you have eaten,
and will have wasted your pleasant words.¹³
23:9 Do not speak in the ears of a fool,¹⁴
for he will despise the wisdom of your words.¹⁵
23:10 Do not move an ancient boundary stone,
or move in on the fields of the fatherless,
23:11 for their Protector¹⁶ is strong,
He will plead their case against you.¹⁷
23:12 Bring¹⁸ your heart to discipline
and your ears to the words of knowledge.
23:13 Do not withhold discipline from a child;¹⁹
if you strike him with the rod he will not die.
23:14 Strike²⁰ him with the rod
and you will deliver his life²¹ from death.²²
23:15 My child,²³ if your heart is wise,
then my heart also will be glad;
23:16 my soul²⁴ will rejoice
when your lips speak what is right.²⁵
23:17 Do not let your heart envy²⁶ sinners,
but rather be zealous for the fear of the LORD all the time.
23:18 for surely there is an end,²⁷
and your hope will not be cut off.²⁸
23:19 Listen, my child,²⁹ and be wise,
and guide your heart on the right way.
23:20 Do not be among those who drink too much wine,³⁰
among those who eat too much³¹ meat,
23:21 because drunkards and gluttons become impoverished
and drowsiness³² clothes them with rags.³³
23:22 Listen to your father who begot you,
and do not despise your mother when she is old.
23:23 Acquire³⁴ truth and do not sell it,
wisdom, and discipline, and understanding.
23:24 The father of a righteous person shall rejoice greatly;³⁵
whoever begets a wise child³⁶ shall have joy in him.
23:25 May your father and your mother have joy,
may she who bore you rejoice.³⁷
23:26 Give me your heart, my child,³⁸
and let your eyes observe my ways,
23:27 for a prostitute³⁹ is a deep pit
and a wayward wife is a narrow well.⁴⁰
23:28 She lies in wait like a robber,⁴¹
and increases the unfaithful⁴² among men.⁴³
23:29 Who has woe?⁴⁴ Who has sorrow?
Who has contentions? Who has complaints?
Who has wounds without cause? Who has dullness⁴⁵ of the eyes?
23:30 Those who linger over wine,
those who go looking for mixed wine.⁴⁶
23:31 Do not look on the wine when it is red,
when it gives its sparkle⁴⁷ in the cup,
when it goes down easily.⁴⁸
23:32 In the end it bites like a snake,
and stings like a viper.
23:33 Your eyes will look on strange women,⁴⁹
and your heart will speak perverse things.
23:34 And you will be like one who lies down in the midst⁵⁰ of the sea
and as one who lies down on the top of the rigging.⁵¹
23:35 You will say,⁵² “They have struck me, but I am not harmed!
they beat me, but I did not know it!⁵³
When shall I awake? I will look for another drink.”⁵⁴