23¹ When you take your seat at the feast with a ruler, give thought with care to what is before you; ² And put a knife to your throat, if you have a strong desire for food. ³ Have no desire for his delicate food, for it is the bread of deceit.

⁴ Take no care to get wealth; let there be an end to your desire for money. ⁵ Are your eyes lifted up to it? it is gone: for wealth takes to itself wings, like an eagle in flight up to heaven.

⁶ Do not take the food of him who has an evil eye, or have any desire for his delicate meat: ⁷ For as the thoughts of his heart are, so is he: Take food and drink, he says to you; but his heart is not with you. ⁸ The food which you have taken will come up again, and your pleasing words will be wasted.

⁹ Say nothing in the hearing of a foolish man, for he will put no value on the wisdom of your words.

¹⁰ Do not let the landmark of the widow be moved, and do not go into the fields of those who have no father; ¹¹ For their saviour is strong, and he will take up their cause against you.

¹² Give your heart to teaching, and your ears to the words of knowledge. ¹³ Do not keep back training from the child: for even if you give him blows with the rod, it will not be death to him. ¹⁴ Give him blows with the rod, and keep his soul safe from the underworld. ¹⁵ My son, if your heart becomes wise, I, even I, will be glad in heart; ¹⁶ And my thoughts in me will be full of joy when your lips say right things.

¹⁷ Have no envy of sinners in your heart, but keep in the fear of the Lord all through the day; ¹⁸ For without doubt there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.

¹⁹ Give ear, my son, and be wise, guiding your heart in the right way. ²⁰ Do not be among those who give themselves to wine-drinking, or among those who make themselves full with meat: ²¹ For those who take delight in drink and feasting will come to be in need; and through love of sleep a man will be poorly clothed. ²² Give ear to your father whose child you are, and do not keep honour from your mother when she is old. ²³ Get for yourself that which is true, and do not let it go for money; get wisdom and teaching and good sense. ²⁴ The father of the upright man will be glad, and he who has a wise child will have joy because of him. ²⁵ Let your father and your mother be glad, let her who gave you birth have joy. ²⁶ My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes take delight in my ways. ²⁷ For a loose woman is a deep hollow, and a strange woman is a narrow water-hole. ²⁸ Yes, she is waiting secretly like a beast for its food, and deceit by her is increased among men.

²⁹ Who says, Oh! who says, Ah! who has violent arguments, who has grief, who has wounds without cause, whose eyes are dark? ³⁰ Those who are seated late over the wine: those who go looking for mixed wine. ³¹ Keep your eyes from looking on the wine when it is red, when its colour is bright in the cup, when it goes smoothly down: ³² In the end, its bite is like that of a snake, its wound like the wound of a poison-snake. ³³ Your eyes will see strange things, and you will say twisted things. ³⁴ Yes, you will be like him who takes his rest on the sea, or on the top of a sail-support. ³⁵ They have overcome me, you will say, and I have no pain; they gave me blows without my feeling them: when will I be awake from my wine? I will go after it again.

23¹ When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, Consider diligently him that is before thee; ² 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.

⁴ Weary not thyself to be rich; Cease from thine own wisdom. ⁵ Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For [riches] certainly make themselves wings, Like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.

⁶ Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, Neither desire thou his dainties: ⁷ For 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.

¹⁰ Remove not the ancient landmark; And enter not into the fields of the fatherless: ¹¹ For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their cause against thee.

¹² Apply thy heart unto instruction, And thine ears to the words of knowledge. ¹³ Withhold not correction from the child; [For] if thou beat him with the rod, he will not die. ¹⁴ Thou shalt beat him with the rod, And shalt deliver his soul from Sheol. ¹⁵ My son, if thy heart be wise, My heart will be glad, even mine: ¹⁶ Yea, my heart will rejoice, When thy lips speak right things.

¹⁷ Let not thy heart envy sinners; But [be thou] in the fear of Jehovah all the day long: ¹⁸ For surely there is a reward; And thy hope shall not be cut off.

¹⁹ Hear thou, my son, and be wise, And guide thy heart in the way. ²⁰ Be not among winebibbers, Among gluttonous eaters of flesh: ²¹ For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; And drowsiness will clothe [a man] with rags. ²² Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, And despise not thy mother when she is old. ²³ Buy the truth, and sell it not; [Yea], wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. ²⁴ The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; And he that begetteth a wise child will have joy of him. ²⁵ Let thy father and thy mother be glad, And let her that bare thee rejoice. ²⁶ My son, give me thy heart; And let thine eyes delight in my ways. ²⁷ For a harlot is a deep ditch; And a foreign woman is a narrow pit. ²⁸ Yea, she lieth in wait as a robber, And increaseth the treacherous among men.

²⁹ Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? Who hath complaining? who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes? ³⁰ They that tarry long at the wine; They that go to seek out mixed wine. ³¹ Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, When it sparkleth in the cup, When it goeth down smoothly: ³² At the last it biteth like a serpent, And stingeth like an adder. ³³ Thine eyes shall behold strange things, And thy heart shall utter perverse things. ³⁴ Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, Or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. ³⁵ They have stricken me, [shalt thou say], and I was not hurt; They have beaten me, and I felt it not: When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

23¹ When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee: ² And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. ³ Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.

⁴ Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. ⁵ Wilt thou set [1] thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

⁶ Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: ⁷ For as he thinketh in his heart, 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 ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

¹⁰ Remove not the old landmark; [2] and enter not into the fields of the fatherless: ¹¹ For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.

¹² Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge. ¹³ Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. ¹⁴ Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell. ¹⁵ My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine. ¹⁶ Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.

¹⁷ Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long. ¹⁸ For surely there is an end; [3] and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

¹⁹ Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way. ²⁰ Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: [4] ²¹ For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. ²² Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old. ²³ Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. ²⁴ The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him. ²⁵ Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice. ²⁶ My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways. ²⁷ For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit. ²⁸ She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.

²⁹ Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? (8675) who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? ³⁰ They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. ³¹ Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. ³² At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth [5] like an adder. ³³ Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. ³⁴ Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst [6] of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. ³⁵ They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt [7] it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.