Chapter 23

1 When you sit down to dine with a ruler, Consider carefully what ^F314 is before you, 2 And put a knife to your throat If you are a man ^R847 of great appetite. 3 Do not desire ^R848 his delicacies, For it is deceptive food.

4 Do ^R849 not weary yourself to gain wealth, Cease ^R850 from your consideration ^F315 of it. 5 When ^F316 you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth ^R851 certainly makes itself wings Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.

6 Do ^R852 not eat the bread of a ^F317 selfish ^R853 man, Or desire his delicacies; 7 For as he thinks ^F318 within himself, so he is. He says to you, "Eat and drink!" But his ^R854 heart is not with you. 8 You will vomit ^R855 up the ^F319 morsel you have eaten, And waste your compliments. ^F320

9 Do ^R856 not speak in the hearing ^F321 of a fool, For he will despise ^R857 the wisdom of your words.

10 Do not move the ancient boundary Or go ^R858 into the fields of the fatherless, 11 For their Redeemer ^R859 is strong; He ^R860 will plead their case against you.

12 Apply your heart to discipline And your ears to words of knowledge. 13 Do ^R861 not hold back discipline from the child, Although you strike ^F322 him with the rod, he will not die. 14 You shall strike ^F323 him with the rod And rescue ^R862 his soul from Sheol. 15 My son, if your heart is wise, ^R863 My own heart also will be glad; 16 And my inmost ^F324 being will rejoice When your lips speak what ^R864 is right.

17 Do ^R865 not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear ^{R866 F325} of the LORD always. ^F326 18 Surely there is a future, ^{R867 F327} And your hope ^R868 will not be cut off.

19 Listen, my son, and be ^R869 wise, And direct ^R870 your heart in the way. 20 Do not be with heavy ^R871 drinkers of wine, Or with gluttonous ^R872 eaters of meat; 21 For the heavy ^R873 drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness ^R874 will clothe one with rags. 22 Listen ^R875 to your father who begot you, And do ^R876 not despise your mother when she is old. 23 Buy ^R877 truth, and do not sell it, Get wisdom and instruction and understanding. 24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he ^R878 who sires a wise son will be glad in him. 25 Let your father ^R879 and your mother be glad, And let her rejoice who gave birth to you. 26 Give ^R880 me your heart, my son, And let your eyes delight ^{R881 F328} in my ways. 27 For a harlot is a deep ^R882 pit And an adulterous ^{R883 F329} woman is a narrow well. 28 Surely she lurks ^R884 as a robber, And increases the faithless ^F330 among men.

29 Who has woe? ^R885 Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? 30 Those who linger ^R886 long over wine, Those who go to taste ^F331 mixed ^R887 wine. 31 Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles ^F332 in the cup, When it goes ^R888 down smoothly; 32 At the last it bites ^R889 like a serpent And stings like a viper. ^R890 33 Your eyes will see strange things And your mind ^F333 will utter ^R891 perverse things. 34 And you will be like one who lies down in the middle ^F334 of the sea, Or like one who lies down on the top of a mast. ^F335 35 "They struck ^R892 me, but I did not become ill; ^F336 They beat me, but I did not know it. When shall I awake? I will seek ^R893 another ^F337 drink."

Chapter 24

1 Do not be envious ^R894 of evil men, Nor desire to be ^R895 with them; 2 For their minds ^F338 devise violence, ^R896 And their lips talk ^R897 of trouble.

3 By ^R898 wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; 4 And by knowledge the rooms are filled ^R899 With all precious and pleasant riches. 5 A wise ^R900 man is strong, ^F339 And a man of knowledge increases ^F340 power. 6 For by ^R901 wise guidance you will wage ^F341 war, And in ^R902 abundance of counselors there is victory.

7 Wisdom is too ^R903 exalted for a fool, He does not open his mouth in ^R904 the gate. 8 One who plans ^R905 to do evil, Men will call a schemer. ^F342 9 The devising ^R906 of folly is sin, And the scoffer is an abomination to men.

10 If you are ^R907 slack in the day of distress, Your strength is limited.

11 Deliver ^R908 those who are being taken away to death, And those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back. 12 If you say, "See, we did not know this," Does He not consider ^R909 it who ^R910 weighs the hearts? And does ^R911 He not know it who keeps ^R912 your soul? And will He not render ^{R913 F343} to man according to his work?

13 My son, eat honey, ^R914 for it is good, Yes, the honey ^R915 from the comb is sweet to your taste; 14 Know that wisdom ^R916 is thus for your soul; If you find it, then there will be a future, ^{R917 F344} And your hope will not be cut off.

15 Do ^R918 not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; Do not destroy his resting place; 16 For a righteous ^R919 man falls seven times, and rises again, But the wicked ^R920 stumble in time of calamity.

17 Do ^R921 not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; 18 Or the LORD will see it and be ^F345 displeased, And turn His anger away from him.

19 Do ^R922 not fret because of evildoers Or be envious ^R923 of the wicked; 20 For there ^R924 will be no future ^{R925 F346} for the evil man; The lamp ^R926 of the wicked will be put out.

21 My son, fear ^{R927 F347} the LORD and the king; Do not associate with those who are given to change, 22 For their calamity ^R928 will rise suddenly, And who knows the ruin that comes from both of them?

23 These also are sayings ^R929 of the wise. To show ^{R930 F348} partiality in judgment is not good. 24 He who ^R931 says to the wicked, "You are righteous," Peoples ^R932 will curse him, nations will abhor him; 25 But to ^R933 those who rebuke the wicked will be delight, And a good blessing will come upon them. 26 He kisses the lips Who gives a ^F349 right answer.

27 Prepare your work outside And make ^R934 it ready for yourself in the field; Afterwards, then, build your house.

28 Do not be a witness ^R935 against your neighbor without cause, And do ^R936 not deceive with your lips. 29 Do ^R937 not say, "Thus I shall do to him as he has done to me; I will render ^F350 to the man according to his work."

30 I passed by the field of the sluggard And by the vineyard of the man lacking ^R938 sense, ^F351 31 And behold, it was completely overgrown ^R939 with thistles; Its surface was covered with nettles, ^{R940 F352} And its stone wall ^R941 was broken down. 32 When I saw, I reflected ^F353 upon it; I looked, and received instruction. 33 "A ^R942 little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest," 34 Then your poverty will come as a ^F354 robber And your want like an ^F355 armed man.

Chapter 25

1 These also are proverbs ^R943 of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, transcribed.

2 It is the glory of God to conceal ^R944 a matter, But the glory of kings ^R945 is to search out a matter. 3 As the heavens for height and the earth for depth, So the heart of kings is unsearchable.

4 Take away the dross ^R946 from the silver, And there comes out a vessel for the smith; ^R947 5 Take away the wicked ^R948 before the king, And his throne ^R949 will be established in righteousness.

6 Do not claim honor in the presence of the king, And do not stand in the place of great men; 7 For it ^R950 is better that it be said to you, "Come up here," Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of the prince, Whom your eyes have seen.

8 Do not go out hastily ^R951 to argue ^F356 your case; Otherwise, ^F357 what will you do in the ^F358 end, When your neighbor humiliates you? 9 Argue ^{R952 F359} your case with your neighbor, And do ^R953 not reveal the secret of another, 10 Or he who hears it will reproach you, And the evil report about you will not pass ^F360 away.

11 Like apples of gold in settings of silver Is a word ^R954 spoken in right ^F361 circumstances. 12 Like an ^F362 earring ^R955 of gold and an ornament ^R956 of fine ^R957 gold Is a wise reprover to a listening ^R958 ear.

13 Like the cold of snow in the time ^F363 of harvest Is a faithful ^R959 messenger to those who send him, For he refreshes the soul of his masters.

14 Like clouds ^R960 and wind ^R961 without rain Is a man who boasts of ^F364 his gifts falsely.

15 By forbearance ^{R962 F365} a ruler may be persuaded, And a soft tongue breaks the bone.

16 Have you found ^R963 honey? Eat only what ^F366 you need, That you not have it in excess and vomit it.

17 Let your foot rarely be in your neighbor's house, Or he will become weary ^F367 of you and hate you.

18 Like a club and a sword ^R964 and a sharp arrow ^R965 Is a man who bears false ^R966 witness against his neighbor.

19 Like a bad tooth and an ^F368 unsteady foot Is confidence in a faithless ^R967 man in time of trouble.

20 Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on soda, ^F369 Is he who sings songs to a ^F370 troubled heart.

21 If ^R968 your ^F371 enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; 22 For you will heap ^F372 burning coals on his head, And the ^R969 LORD will reward you.

23 The north wind brings forth rain, And a backbiting ^{R970 F373} tongue, an angry countenance.

24 It is better ^R971 to live in a corner of the roof Than in ^F374 a house shared with a contentious woman.

25 Like cold water to a weary soul, So is good ^R972 news from a distant land.

26 Like a trampled ^R973 spring and a polluted ^F375 well Is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.

27 It is not good to eat much honey, Nor is it glory to search ^R974 out one's ^F376 own glory.

28 Like a city ^R975 that is broken into and without walls Is a man who ^R976 has no control over his spirit.

Chapter 26

1 Like snow in summer and like rain ^R977 in harvest, So honor is not fitting ^R978 for a fool.

2 Like a sparrow ^R979 in its flitting, ^F377 like a swallow in its flying, So a curse ^R980 without cause does not alight. ^F378

3 A whip ^R981 is for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, And a rod ^R982 for the back of fools.

4 Do ^R983 not answer a fool according to his folly, Or you will also be like him. 5 Answer ^R984 a fool as his folly deserves, That he not be wise ^R985 in his own eyes.

6 He cuts off his own feet and drinks violence Who sends a message by the hand of a fool. 7 Like the legs which are ^F379 useless to the lame, So is a proverb in the mouth of fools. 8 Like one ^F380 who binds a stone in a sling, So is he who gives honor to a fool. 9 Like a thorn which falls ^F381 into the hand of a drunkard, So is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

10 Like ^F382 an archer who wounds everyone, So is he who hires a fool or who hires those who pass by.

11 Like a ^R986 dog that returns to its vomit Is a fool who repeats ^R987 his ^F383 folly.

12 Do you see a man wise ^R988 in his own eyes? There ^R989 is more hope for a fool than for him.

13 The sluggard ^R990 says, "There is a lion in the road! A lion is in ^F384 the open square!"

14 As the door turns on its hinges, So does the sluggard ^R991 on his bed.

15 The sluggard ^R992 buries his hand in the dish; He is weary of bringing it to his mouth again.

16 The sluggard is wiser ^R993 in his own eyes Than seven men who can give ^F385 a discreet answer.

17 Like one who takes a dog by the ears Is he who passes by and meddles ^F386 with strife ^R994 not belonging to him.

18 Like a madman who throws Firebrands, ^R995 arrows and death, 19 So is the man who deceives ^R996 his neighbor, And says, "Was ^R997 I not joking?"

20 For lack of wood the fire goes out, And where there is no whisperer, ^R998 contention ^R999 quiets down. 21 Like charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, So is a contentious ^R1000 man to kindle strife. 22 The words ^R1001 of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, And they go down into the innermost ^F387 parts of the body.

23 Like an earthen vessel ^R1002 overlaid with silver dross ^R1003 Are burning lips and a wicked heart.

24 He who hates ^R1004 disguises it with his lips, But he lays up deceit ^R1005 in his heart. ^F388 25 When he ^F389 speaks ^R1006 graciously, do not believe him, For there are seven abominations in his heart. 26 Though his hatred covers ^R1007 itself with guile, His wickedness will be revealed ^R1008 before the assembly.

27 He who digs ^R1009 a pit will fall into it, And he who rolls a stone, it will come back on him.

28 A lying tongue hates those ^F390 it crushes, And a flattering ^R1010 mouth works ruin.