Proverbs 23

When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee:

When you dine with someone powerful, be mindful and aware of what's happening around you.

And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.

If you're a person prone to overindulgence, it's as if you're holding a knife to your own throat.

Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.

Don't crave his luxuries; they're just illusions of satisfaction.

Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.

Don't exhaust yourself trying to accumulate wealth; stop relying solely on your own understanding.

Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

Will you chase after what doesn't last? Remember, wealth can disappear in an instant, just like an eagle soaring into the sky.

Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:

Avoid the food offered by a stingy host, and don't crave his tempting treats.

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

For he is what he thinks inside, counting every bite: he tells you, "Eat and drink," but his heart isn't with you.

The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.

The bite you've savored will come back up, erasing your sweet talk.

Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

Don't waste your wise words on a fool; they won't appreciate them.

Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:

Don't move the old boundary stones, and don't creep into the fields of the vulnerable, those without parents, to take their land.

For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.

Their savior is powerful; he will passionately take up their case against you.

Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.

Open your heart to learning and lend your ears to wisdom.

Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.

Don't shy away from disciplining your child; if you strike him with the rod, he won't die.

Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.

Strike him with the rod, and you'll save his soul from hell.

My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.

My child, if your heart is wise, my own heart will overflow with joy.

Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.

Indeed, my heart will overflow with joy when your words speak truth.

Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.

Don't let your heart be jealous of those who do wrong; instead, respect and honor God every single day.

For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

Rest assured, there is a future for you; your hopes will not be shattered.

Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.

Listen, my child, be smart and let your heart lead you on the right path.

Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:

Avoid the company of heavy drinkers and gluttons; it leads to chaos and harm.

For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

Those who overindulge in drink and food will find themselves poor, and laziness will leave a man in tatters.

Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.

Listen to your father who gave you life, and don't disregard your mother in her old age.

Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

Invest in truth, never trade it; embrace wisdom, guidance, and insight.

The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.

A righteous child brings immense joy to their father; a wise offspring is a source of pure happiness.

Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.

Your parents will be filled with joy, and your mother, who brought you into this world, will overflow with happiness.

My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.

My child, entrust your heart to me, and learn from my actions.

For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.

Engaging with a prostitute is like falling into a deep abyss; and being with an adulterous woman is like being trapped in a tight pit.

She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.

She patiently waits to ensnare, fueling the growth of wrongdoers among men.

Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?

Who feels pain? Who carries sadness? Who faces conflict? Who speaks nonsense? Who bears unexplained wounds? Who has bloodshot eyes?

They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.

Those who linger over their wine, those who chase after exotic blends.

Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

Don't be tempted by the allure of red wine, as it swirls and sparkles in the glass.

At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.

In the end, it hurts like a snake's bite and burns like a viper's sting.

Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.

Your eyes will wander after loose women, and your heart will speak twisted words.

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.

Indeed, you'll feel like you're lost in the vast ocean or teetering at the highest point of a ship's mast.

They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

They've hurt me, you'll say, yet I wasn't weak; they've struck me, but I didn't feel it. When will I rise? I'll keep searching for it.