Pro 23 | NASB1995 | STEP | When you sit down to dine with a ruler , Consider carefully what is before you,

Proverbs 23

On Life and Conduct

1 When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
Consider carefully ^{▼▼ Or who}what is before you,
2 And put a knife to your throat
If you are a ^bman of great appetite.
3 Do not ^cdesire his delicacies,
For it is deceptive food.

4 ^dDo not weary yourself to gain wealth,
^eCease from your ^{▼▼ Or understanding}consideration of it.
5 ^{▼▼ Lit Will your eyes fly upon it and it is not?}When you set your eyes on it, it is gone.
For ^h wealth certainly makes itself wings
Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.

6 ⁱDo not eat the bread of ^{▼▼ Lit an evil eye}a ^kselfish man,
Or desire his delicacies;
7 For as he ^{▼▼ Lit reckons in his soul}thinks within himself, so he is.
He says to you, “Eat and drink!”
But ^mhis heart is not with you.
8 You will ⁿvomit up ^{▼▼ Lit your}the morsel you have eaten,
And waste your ^{▼▼ Lit pleasant words}compliments.

9 ^qDo not speak in the ^{▼▼ Lit ears}hearing of a fool,
For he will ^sdespise the wisdom of your words.

10 Do not move the ancient boundary
Or ^tgo into the fields of the fatherless,
11 For their ^uRedeemer is strong;
^vHe will plead their case against you.
12 Apply your heart to discipline
And your ears to words of knowledge.

13 ^wDo not hold back discipline from the child,
Although you ^{▼▼ Lit smite}strike him with the rod, he will not die.
14 You shall ^{▼▼ Lit smite}strike him with the rod
And ^zrescue his soul from Sheol.

15 My son, if your heart is ^aawise,
My own heart also will be glad;
16 And my ^{▼▼ Lit kidneys}inmost being will rejoice
When your lips speak ^acwhat is right.

17 ^adDo not let your heart envy sinners,
But live in the ^{▼▼ Or reverence
,} ^affear of the Lord ^{▼▼ Lit all the day}always.
18 Surely there is a ^{▼▼ Lit latter end
,} ^aifuture,
And your ^ajhope will not be cut off.
19 Listen, my son, and ^akbe wise,
And ^aldirect your heart in the way.
20 Do not be with ^amheavy drinkers of wine,
Or with ^angluttonous eaters of meat;
21 For the ^aoheavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty,
And ^apdrowsiness will clothe one with rags.

22 ^aqListen to your father who begot you,
And ^ardo not despise your mother when she is old.
23 ^asBuy truth, and do not sell it,
Get wisdom and instruction and understanding.

24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice,
And ^athe who sires a wise son will be glad in him.
25 Let your ^aufather and your mother be glad,
And let her rejoice who gave birth to you.

26 ^avGive me your heart, my son,
And let your eyes ^{▼▼ Another reading is observe
,} ^axdelight in my ways.
27 For a harlot is a ^aydeep pit
And an ^{▼▼ Lit strange
,} ^baadulterous woman is a narrow well.
28 Surely she ^bblurks as a robber,
And increases the ^{▼▼ Lit treacherous}faithless among men.

29 Who has ^bdwoe? Who has sorrow?
Who has contentions? Who has complaining?
Who has wounds without cause?
Who has redness of eyes?
30 Those who ^belinger long over wine,
Those who go to ^{▼▼ Or search out}taste ^bgmixed wine.
31 Do not look on the wine when it is red,
When it ^{▼▼ Lit gives its eye}sparkles in the cup,
When it ^bigoes down smoothly;
32 At the last it ^bjbites like a serpent
And stings like a ^bkviper.
33 Your eyes will see strange things
And your ^{▼▼ Lit heart}mind will ^bmutter perverse things.
34 And you will be like one who lies down in the ^{▼▼ Lit heart}middle of the sea,
Or like one who lies down on the top of a ^{▼▼ Or lookout}mast.
35 “They ^bpstruck me, but I did not become ^{▼▼ I.e. from the effect of wounds}ill;
They beat me, but I did not know it.
When shall I awake?
I will ^brseek ^{▼▼ Lit it yet again}another drink.”