Proverbs 23 – read and compare multiple versions of the Bible

World English Bible

Proverbs 23 (WEBP)

[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 Yahweh 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.”

Proverbs 23:14 Sheol is the place of the dead.

Scripture quotations are taken from The World English Bible™ of eBible.org, 2020 stable text edition. It is in the public domain.

King James w/Strong’s #s

Proverbs 23 (KJVS)

[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.

Young’s Literal Translation

Proverbs 23 (YLT)

[1] When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, Thou considerest diligently that which is before thee,
[2] And thou hast put a knife to thy throat, If thou art a man of appetite.
[3] Have no desire to his dainties, seeing it is 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 is he, ‘Eat and drink,’ saith he to thee, And his heart is not with thee.
[8] Thy morsel thou hast eaten thou dost vomit up, And hast marred thy words that are 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 is 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 is a deep ditch, And a strange woman is 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!’