Proverbs Chapter 23
Other Translations
darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext
1
When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider well who 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 food.
4
Weary not thyself to become rich; cease from thine own intelligence:
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wilt thou set thine eyes upon it, it is gone; for indeed it maketh itself wings and it flieth away as an eagle towards the heavens.
6
Eat thou not the food of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainties.
7
For as he thinketh in his soul, so is he. Eat and drink! will he say unto thee; but his heart is not with thee.
8
Thy morsel which thou hast eaten must thou vomit up, and thou wilt have wasted thy sweet words.
9
Speak not in the ears of a foolish [man], for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
10
Remove not the ancient landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:
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for their redeemer is mighty; 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 beatest him with the rod, he shall 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 shall rejoice, even mine;
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and my reins shall exult, when thy lips speak right things.
17
Let not thy heart envy sinners, but [be thou] in the fear of Jehovah all the day;
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for surely there is a result, and thine expectation shall not be cut off.
19
Thou, my son, hear and be wise, and direct thy 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 clotheth 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; wisdom, and instruction, and intelligence.
24
The father of a righteous [man] shall greatly rejoice, and he that begetteth a wise [son] shall have joy of him:
25
let thy father and thy mother have joy, and let her that bore thee rejoice.
26
My son, give me thy heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.
27
For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.
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She also lieth in wait as a robber, and increaseth the treacherous among men.
29
Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? Who contentions? Who complaining? Who wounds without cause? Who redness of eyes?
30
— They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to try mixed wine.
31
Look not upon the wine when it is red, when it sparkleth in the cup, and goeth down smoothly:
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at the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
33
Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thy heart shall speak froward things;
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and thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, and as he that lieth down upon the top of a mast:
35
— “They have smitten me, [and] I am not sore; they have beaten me, [and] I knew it not. When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.”
lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM
1
If thou sit to sup at the table of a prince, consider attentively the things set before thee:
2
and apply thine hand, knowing that it behoves thee to prepare such [meats]: but if thou art very insatiable,
3
desire not his provisions; for these belong to a false life.
4
If thou art poor, measure not thyself with a rich man; but refrain thyself in thy wisdom.
5
If thou shouldest fix thine eye upon him, he will disappear; for wings like an eagle's are prepared for him, and he returns to the house of his master.
6
Sup not with an envious man, neither desire thou his meats:
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so he eats and drinks as if any one should swallow a hair, and do not bring him in to thyself, nor eat thy morsel with him:
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for he will vomit it up, and spoil thy fair words.
9
Say nothing in the ears of a fool, lest at any time he sneer at thy wise words.
10
Remove not the ancient landmarks; and enter not upon the possession of the fatherless:
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for the Lord is their redeemer; he is mighty, and will plead their cause with thee.
12
Apply thine heart to instruction, and prepare thine ears for words of discretion.
13
Refrain not from chastening a child; for if thou beat him with the rod, he shall not die.
14
For thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from death.
15
Son, if thy heart be wise, thou shalt also gladden my heart;
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and thy lips shall converse with my lips, if they be right.
17
Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day.
18
For if thou shouldest keep these things, thou shalt have posterity; and thine hope shall not be removed.
19
Hear, [my] son, and be wise, and rightly direct the thoughts of thine heart.
20
Be not a wine-bibber, neither continue long at feasts, and purchases of flesh:
21
for every drunkard and whoremonger shall be poor; and every sluggard shall clothe himself with tatters and ragged garments.
22
Hearken, [my] son, to thy father which begot thee, and despise not [thy mother] because she is grown old.
24
A righteous father brings up [his children] well; and his soul rejoices over a wise son.
25
Let thy father and thy mother rejoice over thee, and let her that bore thee be glad.
26
[My] son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.
27
For a strange house is a vessel full of holes; and a strange well is narrow.
28
For such a one shall perish suddenly; and every transgressor shall be cut off.
29
Who [has] woe? who trouble? who [has] quarrels? and who vexations and disputes? who [has] bruises without a cause? whose eyes are livid?
30
Are not those of them that stay long at wine? [are] not [those] of them that haunt [the places] where banquets are? Be not drunk with wine; but converse with just men, and converse [with them] openly.
31
For if thou shouldest set thine eyes on bowls and cups, thou shalt afterwards go more naked than a pestle.
32
But at last [such a one] stretches himself out as one smitten by a serpent, and venom is diffused through him as by a horned serpent.
33
Whenever thine eyes shall behold a strange woman, then thy mouth shall speak perverse things.
34
And thou shalt lie as in the midst of the sea, and as a pilot in a great storm.
35
And thou shalt say, They smote me, and I was not pained; and they mocked me, and I knew it not: when will it be morning, that I may go and seek those with whom I may go in company?
vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)
1
Quando sederis ut comedas cum principe, diligenter attende quæ apposita sunt ante faciem tuam:
2
et statue cultrum in gutture tuo, si tamen habes in potestate animam tuam,
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ne desideres de cibis eius, in quo est panis mendacii.
4
Noli laborare ut diteris: sed prudentiæ tuæ ponde modum.
5
Ne erigas oculos tuos ad opes, quas non potes habere: quia facient sibi pennas quasi aquilæ, et volabunt in cælum.
6
Ne comedas cum homine invido, et ne desideres cibos eius:
7
quoniam in similitudinem arioli, et coniectoris, æstimat quod ignorat. Comede et bibe, dicet tibi: et mens eius non est tecum.
8
Cibos, quos comederas, evomes: et perdes pulchros sermones tuos.
9
In auribus insipientium ne loquaris: qui despicient doctrinam eloquii tui.
10
Ne attingas parvulorum terminos: et agrum pupillorum ne introeas:
11
Propinquus enim illorum fortis est: et ipse iudicabit contra te causam illorum.
12
Ingrediatur ad doctrinam cor tuum: et aures tuæ ad verba scientiæ.
13
Noli subtrahere a puero disciplinam: si enim percusseris eum virga, non morietur.
14
Tu virga percuties eum: et animam eius de inferno liberabis.
15
Fili mi, si sapiens fuerit animus tuus, gaudebit tecum cor meum:
16
et exultabunt renes mei, cum locuta fuerint rectum labia tua.
17
Non æmuletur cor tuum peccatores: sed in timore Domini esto tota die:
18
quia habebis spem in novissimo, et præstolatio tua non auferetur.
19
Audi fili mi, et esto sapiens: et dirige in via animum tuum.
20
Noli esse in conviviis potatorum, nec in comessationibus eorum, qui carnes ad vescendum conferunt:
21
quia vacantes potibus, et dantes symbola consumentur, et vestietur pannis dormitatio.
22
Audi patrem tuum, qui genuit te: et ne contemnas cum senuerit mater tua.
23
Veritatem eme, et noli vendere sapientiam, et doctrinam, et intelligentiam.
24
Exultat gaudio pater iusti: qui sapientem genuit, lætabitur in eo.
25
Gaudeat pater tuus, et mater tua, et exultet quæ genuit te.
26
Præbe fili mi cor tuum mihi: et oculi tui vias meas custodiant.
27
Fovea enim profunda est meretrix: et puteus angustus, aliena.
28
Insidiatur in via quasi latro, et quos incautos viderit, interficiet.
29
Cui væ? cuius patri væ? cui rixæ? cui foveæ? cui sine causa vulnera? cui suffusio oculorum?
30
Nonne his, qui commorantur in vino, et student calicibus epotandis?
31
Ne intuearis vinum quando flavescit, cum splenduerit in vitro color eius: ingreditur blande,
32
sed in novissimo mordebit ut coluber, et sicut regulus venena diffundet.
33
Oculi tui videbunt extraneas, et cor tuum loquetur perversa.
34
Et eris sicut dormiens in medio mari, et quasi sopitus gubernator, amisso clavo:
35
et dices: Verberaverunt me, sed non dolui: traxerunt me, et ego non sensi: quando evigilabo, et rursus vina reperiam?
web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV
1
When you sit to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before you;
2
put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite.
3
Don’t be desirous of his dainties, since they are deceitful food.
4
Don’t weary yourself to be rich. In your wisdom, show restraint.
5
Why do you set your eyes on that which is not? For it certainly sprouts wings like an eagle and flies in the sky.
6
Don’t eat the food of him who has a stingy eye, and don’t crave his delicacies,
7
for as he thinks about the cost, so he is. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.
8
You will vomit up the morsel which you have eaten and waste your pleasant words.
9
Don’t speak in the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.
10
Don’t move the ancient boundary stone. Don’t encroach on the fields of the fatherless,
11
for their Defender is strong. He will plead their case against you.
12
Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to the words of knowledge.
13
Don’t withhold correction from a child. If you punish him with the rod, he will not die.
14
Punish him with the rod, and save his soul from Sheol.
15
My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad, even mine.
16
Yes, my heart will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.
17
Don’t let your heart envy sinners, but rather fear the LORD all day long.
18
Indeed surely there is a future hope, and your hope will not be cut off.
19
Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path!
20
Don’t be among ones drinking too much wine, or those who gorge themselves on meat;
21
for the drunkard and the glutton shall become poor; and drowsiness clothes them in rags.
22
Listen to your father who gave you life, and don’t despise your mother when she is old.
23
Buy the truth, and don’t sell it. Get wisdom, discipline, and understanding.
24
The father of the righteous has great joy. Whoever fathers a wise child delights in him.
25
Let your father and your mother be glad! Let her who bore you rejoice!
26
My son, give me your heart; and let your eyes keep in my ways.
27
For a prostitute is a deep pit; and a wayward wife is a narrow well.
28
Yes, she lies in wait like a robber, and increases the unfaithful among men.
29
Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?
30
Those who stay long at the wine; those who go to seek out mixed wine.
31
Don’t look at the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly.
32
In the end, it bites like a snake, and poisons like a viper.
33
Your eyes will see strange things, and your mind will imagine confusing things.
34
Yes, you will be as he who lies down in the middle of the sea, or as he who lies on top of the rigging:
35
“They hit me, and I was not hurt! They beat me, and I don’t feel it! When will I wake up? I can do it again. I will look for more.”
ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8
1
When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, Thou considerest diligently that which <FI>is<Fi> before thee,
2
And thou hast put a knife to thy throat, If thou <FI>art<Fi> a man of appetite.
3
Have no desire to his dainties, seeing it <FI>is<Fi> lying food.
4
Labour not to make wealth, From thine own understanding cease, Dost thou cause thine eyes to fly upon it? Then it is not.
5
For wealth maketh to itself wings, As an eagle it flieth to the heavens.
6
Eat not the bread of an evil eye, And have no desire to his dainties,
7
For as he hath thought in his soul, so <FI>is<Fi> he, `Eat and drink,' saith he to thee, And his heart <FI>is<Fi> not with thee.
8
Thy morsel thou hast eaten thou dost vomit up, And hast marred thy words that <FI>are<Fi> sweet.
9
In the ears of a fool speak not, For he treadeth on the wisdom of thy words.
10
Remove not a border of olden times, And into fields of the fatherless enter not,
11
For their Redeemer <FI>is<Fi> strong, He doth plead their cause with thee.
12
Bring in to instruction thy heart, And thine ear to sayings of knowledge.
13
Withhold not from a youth chastisement, When thou smitest him with a rod he dieth not.
14
Thou with a rod smitest him, And his soul from Sheol thou deliverest.
15
My son, if thy heart hath been wise, My heart rejoiceth, even mine,
16
And my reins exult when thy lips speak uprightly.
17
Let not thy heart be envious at sinners, But--in the fear of Jehovah all the day.
18
For, is there a posterity? Then thy hope is not cut off.
19
Hear thou, my son, and be wise, And make happy in the way thy heart,
20
Be not thou among quaffers of wine, Among gluttonous ones of flesh,
21
For the quaffer and glutton become poor, And drowsiness clotheth with rags.
22
Hearken to thy father, who begat thee, And despise not thy mother when she hath become old.
23
Truth buy, and sell not, Wisdom, and instruction, and understanding,
24
The father of the righteous rejoiceth greatly, The begetter of the wise rejoiceth in him.
25
Rejoice doth thy father and thy mother, Yea, she that bare thee is joyful.
26
Give, my son, thy heart to me, And let thine eyes watch my ways.
27
For a harlot <FI>is<Fi> a deep ditch, And a strange woman <FI>is<Fi> a strait pit.
28
She also, as catching prey, lieth in wait, And the treacherous among men she increaseth.
29
Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions? who hath plaint? Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes?
30
Those tarrying by the wine, Those going in to search out mixed wine.
31
See not wine when it showeth itself red, When it giveth in the cup its colour, It goeth up and down through the upright.
32
Its latter end--as a serpent it biteth, And as a basilisk it stingeth.
33
Thine eyes see strange women, And thy heart speaketh perverse things.
34
And thou hast been as one lying down in the heart of the sea, And as one lying down on the top of a mast.
35
`They smote me, I have not been sick, They beat me, I have not known. When I awake--I seek it yet again!'
Explanations by Age Level
Explain Like I'm 5
A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!
Explain Like I'm 10
Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.
Explain Like I'm 15
Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).