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.

Proverbs 23:5 Heb. wilt thou cause thine eyes to fly upon?
Proverbs 23:10 Or, bound
Proverbs 23:15 Or, even I will rejoice
Proverbs 23:18 Or, reward
Proverbs 23:20 Heb. of their flesh
Proverbs 23:28 Or, as a robber
Proverbs 23:32 Or, a cockatrice
Proverbs 23:34 Heb. in the heart of the sea
Proverbs 23:35 Heb. I knew it not

Scripture quotations from The Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible, using the standardized text of 1769. It is in the public domain.

Greek Bible (LXX/BYZ)

Proverbs 23 (BYZ)

[1] εαν καθισης δειπνειν επι τραπεζης δυναστων νοητως νοει τα παρατιθεμενα σοι
[2] και επιβαλλε την χειρα σου ειδως οτι τοιαυτα σε δει παρασκευασαι
[3] ει δε απληστοτερος ει μη επιθυμει των εδεσματων αυτου ταυτα γαρ εχεται ζωης ψευδους
[4] μη παρεκτεινου πενης ων πλουσιω τη δε ση εννοια αποσχου
[5] εαν επιστησης το σον ομμα προς αυτον ουδαμου φανειται κατεσκευασται γαρ αυτω πτερυγες ωσπερ αετου και υποστρεφει εις τον οικον του προεστηκοτος αυτου
[6] μη συνδειπνει ανδρι βασκανω μηδε επιθυμει των βρωματων αυτου
[7] ον τροπον γαρ ει τις καταπιοι τριχα ουτως εσθιει και πινει
[8] μηδε προς σε εισαγαγης αυτον και φαγης τον ψωμον σου μετ αυτου εξεμεσει γαρ αυτον και λυμανειται τους λογους σου τους καλους
[9] εις ωτα αφρονος μηδεν λεγε μηποτε μυκτηριση τους συνετους λογους σου
[10] μη μεταθης ορια αιωνια εις δε κτημα ορφανων μη εισελθης
[11] ο γαρ λυτρουμενος αυτους κυριος κραταιος εστιν και κρινει την κρισιν αυτων μετα σου
[12] δος εις παιδειαν την καρδιαν σου τα δε ωτα σου ετοιμασον λογοις αισθησεως
[13] μη αποσχη νηπιον παιδευειν οτι εαν παταξης αυτον ραβδω ου μη αποθανη
[14] συ μεν γαρ παταξεις αυτον ραβδω την δε ψυχην αυτου εκ θανατου ρυση
[15] υιε εαν σοφη γενηται σου η καρδια ευφρανεις και την εμην καρδιαν
[16] και ενδιατριψει λογοις τα σα χειλη προς τα εμα χειλη εαν ορθα ωσιν
[17] μη ζηλουτω η καρδια σου αμαρτωλους αλλα εν φοβω κυριου ισθι ολην την ημεραν
[18] εαν γαρ τηρησης αυτα εσται σοι εκγονα η δε ελπις σου ουκ αποστησεται
[19] ακουε υιε και σοφος γινου και κατευθυνε εννοιας σης καρδιας
[20] μη ισθι οινοποτης μηδε εκτεινου συμβολαις κρεων τε αγορασμοις
[21] πας γαρ μεθυσος και πορνοκοπος πτωχευσει και ενδυσεται διερρηγμενα και ρακωδη πας υπνωδης
[22] ακουε υιε πατρος του γεννησαντος σε και μη καταφρονει οτι γεγηρακεν σου η μητηρ …
[24] καλως εκτρεφει πατηρ δικαιος επι δε υιω σοφω ευφραινεται η ψυχη αυτου
[25] ευφραινεσθω ο πατηρ και η μητηρ επι σοι και χαιρετω η τεκουσα σε
[26] δος μοι υιε σην καρδιαν οι δε σοι οφθαλμοι εμας οδους τηρειτωσαν
[27] πιθος γαρ τετρημενος εστιν αλλοτριος οικος και φρεαρ στενον αλλοτριον
[28] ουτος γαρ συντομως απολειται και πας παρανομος αναλωθησεται
[29] τινι ουαι τινι θορυβος τινι κρισις τινι αηδιαι και λεσχαι τινι συντριμματα δια κενης τινος πελειοι οι οφθαλμοι
[30] ου των εγχρονιζοντων εν οινοις ου των ιχνευοντων που ποτοι γινονται
[31] μη μεθυσκεσθε οινω αλλα ομιλειτε ανθρωποις δικαιοις και ομιλειτε εν περιπατοις εαν γαρ εις τας φιαλας και τα ποτηρια δως τους οφθαλμους σου υστερον περιπατησεις γυμνοτερος υπερου
[32] το δε εσχατον ωσπερ υπο οφεως πεπληγως εκτεινεται και ωσπερ υπο κεραστου διαχειται αυτω ο ιος
[33] οι οφθαλμοι σου οταν ιδωσιν αλλοτριαν το στομα σου τοτε λαλησει σκολια
[34] και κατακειση ωσπερ εν καρδια θαλασσης και ωσπερ κυβερνητης εν πολλω κλυδωνι
[35] ερεις δε τυπτουσιν με και ουκ επονεσα και ενεπαιξαν μοι εγω δε ουκ ηδειν ποτε ορθρος εσται ινα ελθων ζητησω μεθ ων συνελευσομαι

The Greek New Testament According to the Byzantine Text (Guardian Press, Inc., Robinson-Pierpont Byzantine Textform, 2026). Dedicated to the public domain by Guardian Press, Inc. and J. Jeffrey Dodson.