23 When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
observe carefully what1 is before you,
2 and put a knife to your throat
if you are given to appetite.
3 Do not desire his delicacies,
for they are deceptive food.
4 bDo not toil to acquire wealth;
be discerning enough to desist.
5 When your eyes light on it, it is gone,
for csuddenly it sprouts wings,
flying like an eagle toward heaven.
6 Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy;2
do not desire his delicacies,
7 for he is like one who is inwardly calculating.3
“Eat and drink!” he says to you,
but his heart is not with you.
8 You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten,
and waste your pleasant words.
9 dDo not speak in the hearing of a fool,
for he will despise the good sense of your words.
10 eDo not move an ancient landmark
or enter the fields of the fatherless,
11 for ftheir Redeemer is strong;
he will gplead their cause against you.
12 Apply your heart to hinstruction
and your ear to words of knowledge.
13 iDo not withhold discipline from a child;
if you strike him with a rod, he will not die.
14 If you strike him with the rod,
you will save his soul from Sheol.
15 My son, if your heart is wise,
my heart too will be glad.
16 My inmost being4 will exult
when your lips speak what is right.
17 Let not your heart jenvy sinners,
but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day.
18 kSurely there is a future,
and your hope will not be cut off.
19 Hear, my son, and be wise,
and direct your heart in the way.
or among mgluttonous eaters of meat,
21 for the drunkard and the glutton nwill come to poverty,
and oslumber will clothe them with rags.
22 Listen to your pfather who gave you life,
and do not despise your mother qwhen she is old.
23 rBuy truth, and do not sell it;
buy wisdom, sinstruction, and understanding.
24 tThe father of the righteous will greatly rejoice;
he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.
25 Let your father and mother be glad;
let her who bore you rejoice.
26 My son, give me your heart,
and let your eyes observe6 my ways.
27 For a prostitute is ua deep pit;
an adulteress7 is a narrow well.
28 vShe lies in wait like a robber
and increases the traitors among mankind.
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has strife? Who has complaining?
Who has wounds without cause?
Who has redness of eyes?
30 Those who tarry long over wwine;
those who go to try mixed wine.
31 Do not look at wine when it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup
and goes down smoothly.
32 In the end it bites like a serpent
and stings like an adder.
33 Your eyes will see strange things,
and your heart utter xperverse things.
34 You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea,
like one who lies on the top of a mast.8
35 “They struck me,” you will say,9 “but I was not hurt;
they beat me, but I did not feel it.
When shall I awake?
I must have another drink.”
24 Be not yenvious of evil men,
nor desire to be with them,
2 for their hearts devise violence,
and their lips talk of trouble.
3 By wisdom a house is built,
and by understanding it is established;
4 by knowledge the rooms are filled
with all precious and pleasant riches.
5 A wise man is full of strength,
and a man of knowledge enhances his might,
6 for zby wise guidance you can wage your war,
and ain abundance of counselors there is victory.
7 Wisdom is too high for a fool;
in the gate he does not open his mouth.
8 Whoever bplans to do evil
will be called a schemer.
9 The devising1 of folly is sin,
and the scoffer is an abomination to mankind.
10 If you faint in the day of adversity,
your strength is small.
11 cRescue those who are being taken away to death;
hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
12 If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”
does not he who dweighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it,
and will he not repay man eaccording to his work?
13 My son, eat honey, for it is good,
and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.
14 Know that wisdom is such to your soul;
if you find it, fthere will be a future,
and your hope will not be cut off.
15 Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous;
do no violence to his home;
16 for the righteous gfalls seven times and rises again,
but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.
17 hDo not rejoice when your enemy falls,
and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles,
18 lest the Lord see it and be displeased,
and turn away his anger from him.
19 iFret not yourself because of evildoers,
and be not envious of the wicked,
20 for the evil man has no future;
the jlamp of the wicked will be put out.
21 My son, kfear the Lord and the king,
and do not join with those who do otherwise,
22 for disaster will arise suddenly from them,
and who knows the ruin that will come from them both?
More Sayings of the Wise
23 lThese also are sayings of the wise.
mPartiality in judging is not good.
24 Whoever nsays to the wicked, “You are in the right,”
will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations,
25 but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight,
and a good blessing will come upon them.
26 Whoever gives an honest answer
kisses the lips.
27 oPrepare your work outside;
get everything ready for yourself in the field,
and after that build your house.
28 Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause,
and do not deceive with your lips.
29 pDo not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me;
I will pay the man back for what he has done.”
30 qI passed by the field of a sluggard,
by the vineyard of a man lacking sense,
31 and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;
the ground was covered with nettles,
and its stone wall was broken down.
32 Then I saw and considered it;
I looked and received instruction.
33 rA little sleep, a little slumber,
a little sfolding of the hands to rest,
34 and tpoverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man.
More Proverbs of Solomon
25 uThese also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied.
2 It is the glory of God to conceal things,
but the glory of kings is to search things out.
3 As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth,
so the heart of kings is unsearchable.
4 Take away the vdross from the silver,
and the smith has material for a vessel;
5 take away the wicked from the presence of the king,
and whis throne will be established in righteousness.
6 xDo not put yourself forward in the king’s presence
or stand in the place of the great,
7 for it is better to be told, “Come up here,”
than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.
yWhat your eyes have seen
8 do not hastily bring into court,1
for2 what will you do in the end,
when your neighbor puts you to shame?
9 zArgue your case with your neighbor himself,
and do not reveal another’s secret,
10 lest he who hears you bring shame upon you,
and your ill repute have no end.
11 aA word fitly spoken
is blike apples of gold in a setting of silver.
12 Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold
is a wise creprover to a listening ear.
13 Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest
is a faithful messenger to those who send him;
he refreshes the soul of his masters.
14 Like clouds and wind without rain
is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give.
15 With patience a ruler may be persuaded,
and da soft tongue will break a bone.
16 If you have found honey, eat only enough for you,
lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.
17 eLet your foot be seldom in your neighbor’s house,
lest he have his fill of you and hate you.
18 A man who bears false witness against his neighbor
is like a war club, or a sword, or a sharp arrow.
19 Trusting in a treacherous man in time of trouble
is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips.
20 fWhoever gsings songs to a heavy heart
is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day,
and like vinegar on soda.
21 hIf your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,
and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,
22 for you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the Lord will reward you.
23 The north wind brings forth rain,
and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.
24 iIt is better to live in a corner of the housetop
than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
25 Like cold water to a thirsty soul,
so is jgood news from a far country.
26 Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain
is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.
27 It is not good to eat much honey,
knor is it glorious to seek one’s own glory.3
28 A man without self-control
is like a city broken into and left without walls.
26 Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,
so honor is lnot fitting for a fool.
2 Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying,
a curse that is causeless does not alight.
3 mA whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
and na rod for the back of fools.
4 oAnswer not a fool according to his folly,
lest you be like him yourself.
5 Answer a fool according to his folly,
lest he be wise in his own eyes.
6 Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool
cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.
7 pLike a lame man’s legs, which hang useless,
is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
8 Like one who binds the stone in the sling
is one who gives honor to a fool.
9 Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard
is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
10 Like an archer who wounds everyone
is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.1
11 qLike a dog that returns to his vomit
is a fool who repeats his folly.
12 Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes?
rThere is more hope for a fool than for him.
13 sThe sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road!
There is a lion in the streets!”
14 As a door turns on its hinges,
so does a sluggard on his bed.
15 tThe sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.
16 The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes
than seven men who can answer sensibly.
17 uWhoever meddles in a quarrel not his own
is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.
18 Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death
19 is the man who deceives his neighbor
and says, “I am only joking!”
20 For lack of wood the fire goes out,
and where there is no whisperer, vquarreling ceases.
21 As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
22 wThe words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
they go down into the inner parts of the body.
23 Like the glaze2 covering an earthen vessel
are xfervent lips with an evil heart.
24 Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips
and harbors deceit in his heart;
25 when he speaks graciously, believe him not,
for there are yseven abominations in his heart;
26 though his zhatred be covered with deception,
his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
27 Whoever digs a pit will afall into it,
and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.
28 A lying tongue hates its victims,
and a flattering mouth works ruin.
27 bDo not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring.
2 cLet another praise you, and not your own mouth;
a stranger, and not your own lips.
3 A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty,
dbut a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.
4 Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming,
but who can stand before jealousy?
5 Better is eopen rebuke
than hidden love.
6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
profuse are the kisses of an enemy.
7 One who is full loathes honey,
but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet.
8 Like a bird that strays from its nest
is a man who strays from his home.
9 Oil and perfume make the heart glad,
and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.1
10 fDo not forsake your friend and your father’s friend,
and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity.
Better is a neighbor who is near
than a brother who is far away.
11 Be wise, my son, gand make my heart glad,
that I may hanswer him who reproaches me.
12 iThe prudent sees danger and hides himself,
but the simple go on and suffer for it.
13 Take a man’s garment when he has jput up security for a stranger,
and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for an adulteress.2
14 kWhoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice,
rising early in the morning,
will be counted as cursing.
15 lA continual dripping on a rainy day
and a quarrelsome wife are alike;
16 to restrain her is to restrain the wind
or to grasp3 oil in one’s right hand.
17 mIron sharpens iron,
and one man sharpens another.4
18 nWhoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,
and he who guards his master will be honored.
19 As in water face reflects face,
so the heart of man reflects the man.
20 Sheol and Abaddon are onever satisfied,
and pnever satisfied are the eyes of man.
21 qThe crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
and a man is tested by his praise.
22 Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle
along with crushed grain,
yet his folly will not depart from him.
23 Know well the condition of your flocks,
and give attention to your herds,
24 for rriches do not last forever;
and does a crown endure to all generations?
25 When the grass is gone and the new growth appears
and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered,
26 the lambs will provide your clothing,
and the goats the price of a field.
27 There will be enough goats’ milk for your food,
for the food of your household
and maintenance for your girls.
