Proverbs 23 | King James Version

King James Version

1 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 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; 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; 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: 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? 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 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 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 it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

New International Reader’s Version

Saying 7

1 When you sit down to eat with a ruler, look carefully at what’s in front of you. 2 Put a knife to your throat if you like to eat too much. 3 Don’t long for his fancy food. It can fool you.

Saying 8

4 Don’t wear yourself out to get rich. Don’t trust how wise you think you are. 5 When you take even a quick look at riches, they are gone. They grow wings and fly away into the sky like an eagle.

Saying 9

6 Don’t eat the food of anyone who doesn’t want to share it. Don’t long for his fancy food. 7 He is the kind of person who is always thinking about how much it costs. ‘Eat and drink,’ he says to you. But he doesn’t mean it. 8 You will throw up what little you have eaten. You will have wasted your words of praise. 9 Don’t speak to foolish people. They will laugh at your wise words.

Saying 10 Saying 11

10 Don’t move old boundary stones. Don’t try to take over the fields of children whose fathers have died. 11 That’s because the God who guards them is strong. He will stand up for them in court against you. 12 Apply your heart to what you are taught. Listen carefully to words of knowledge.

Saying 12 Saying 13

13 Don’t hold back correction from a child. If you correct them, they won’t die. 14 So correct them. Then you will save them from death.

Saying 14

15 My son, if your heart is wise, my heart will be very glad. 16 Deep down inside, I will be happy when you say what is right.

Saying 15

17 Do not long for what sinners have. But always show great respect for the LORD. 18 There really is hope for you in days to come. So your hope will not be cut off.

Saying 16

19 My son, listen and be wise. Set your heart on the right path. 20 Don’t join those who drink too much wine. Don’t join those who stuff themselves with meat. 21 Those who drink or eat too much will become poor. If they sleep too much, they’ll have to wear rags.

Saying 17

22 Listen to your father, who gave you life. Don’t hate your mother when she is old. 23 Buy the truth and don’t sell it. Get wisdom, instruction and understanding as well. 24 The father of a godly child is very happy. A man who has a wise son is glad. 25 May your father and mother be glad. May the woman who gave birth to you be joyful.

Saying 18

26 My son, give me your heart. May you be happy living the way you see me live. 27 An unfaithful wife is like a deep pit. A wife who commits adultery is like a narrow well. 28 She hides and waits like a thief. She causes many men to sin.

Saying 19

29 Who has trouble? Who has sorrow? Who argues? Who has problems? Who has wounds for no reason? Who has red eyes? 30 Those who spend too much time with wine. Or those who like to taste wine mixed with spices. 31 Don’t look at wine when it is red. Don’t look at it when it bubbles in the cup. And don’t look at it when it goes down smoothly. 32 In the end it bites like a snake. It bites like a poisonous snake. 33 Your eyes will see strange sights. Your mind will imagine weird things. 34 You will feel like someone sleeping on the ocean. You will think you are lying among the ropes in a boat. 35 ‘They hit me,’ you will say. ‘But I’m not hurt! They beat me. But I don’t feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink?’