1 ¶ When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee;

When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, Consider diligently him that is before thee;

2 a nd put a knife to thy throat if thou art a man given to appetite.

And put a knife to thy throat, If thou be a man given to appetite.

3 D o not be desirous of his dainties; for they are deceitful food.

Be not desirous of his dainties; Seeing they are deceitful food.

4 ¶ Do not labour to be rich; cease from thine own wisdom.

Weary not thyself to be rich; Cease from thine own wisdom.

5 W ilt thou set thine eyes upon riches which are not? For they shall certainly make themselves wings; they shall fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings, Like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.

6 ¶ Do not eat the bread of anyone who has an evil eye, neither desire his dainty foods;

Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, Neither desire thou his dainties:

7 f or as he thinks in his soul, so is he; Eat and drink, he shall say unto thee, but his heart is not with thee.

For as he thinketh within himself, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; But his heart is not with thee.

8 D idst thou eat thy part? Thou shalt vomit it up and lose thy sweet words.

The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, And lose thy sweet words.

9 ¶ Do not speak in the ears of a fool, for he will despise the prudence of thy words.

Speak not in the hearing of a fool; For he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

10 ¶ Do not remove the old landmark, and do not enter into the inheritance of the fatherless:

Remove not the ancient landmark; And enter not into the fields of the fatherless:

11 F or their redeemer is mighty; he shall judge their cause against thee.

For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their cause against thee.

12 ¶ Apply thine heart unto chastening and thine ears to the words of wisdom.

Apply thy heart unto instruction, And thine ears to the words of knowledge.

13 D o not withhold correction from the child; for if thou shall beat him with the rod, he shall not die.

Withhold not correction from the child; For if thou beat him with the rod, he will not die.

14 T hou shalt beat him with the rod and shalt deliver his soul from Sheol.

Thou shalt beat him with the rod, And shalt deliver his soul from Sheol.

15 M y son, if thy heart is wise, my heart shall also rejoice;

My son, if thy heart be wise, My heart will be glad, even mine:

16 m y kidneys shall also rejoice when thy lips speak right things.

Yea, my heart will rejoice, When thy lips speak right things.

17 ¶ Let not thy heart envy sinners, but persevere in the fear of the LORD all day long.

Let not thy heart envy sinners; But be thou in the fear of Jehovah all the day long:

18 F or surely there is an end, and thy hope shall not be cut off.

For surely there is a reward; And thy hope shall not be cut off.

19 ¶ Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and straighten thy heart in the way.

Hear thou, my son, and be wise, And guide thy heart in the way.

20 D o not be among those who are drunk with wine; nor among gluttonous eaters of food;

Be not among winebibbers, Among gluttonous eaters of flesh:

21 f or the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty, and drowsiness shall cause them to wear rags.

For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; And drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.

22 H earken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.

Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, And despise not thy mother when she is old.

23 B uy the truth and sell it not, also wisdom and instruction and understanding.

Buy the truth, and sell it not; Yea, wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

24 T he father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice, and he that begets a wise child shall have joy with him.

The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; And he that begetteth a wise child will have joy of him.

25 T hy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bore thee shall rejoice.

Let thy father and thy mother be glad, And let her that bare thee rejoice.

26 M y son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.

My son, give me thy heart; And let thine eyes delight in my ways.

27 F or a whore is a deep ditch and a strange woman is a narrow pit.

For a harlot is a deep ditch; And a foreign woman is a narrow pit.

28 S he also lies in wait as for a prey and increases the transgressors among men.

Yea, she lieth in wait as a robber, And increaseth the treacherous among men.

29 ¶ For who shall be the woe? for who shall be the woe? for who contention? for who quarrels? for who the wounds without cause? who shall have redness of eyes?

Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? Who hath complaining? who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes?

30 F or those that tarry long at the wine; those that go to seek mixed wine.

They that tarry long at the wine; They that go to seek out mixed wine.

31 D o not look upon the wine when it is red, when it gives its colour in the cup, it goes down smoothly.

Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, When it sparkleth in the cup, When it goeth down smoothly:

32 A t the last it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder.

At the last it biteth like a serpent, And stingeth like an adder.

33 T hine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.

Thine eyes shall behold strange things, And thy heart shall utter perverse things.

34 Y ea, thou shalt be as he that lies down in the midst of the sea or as he that sleeps at the rudder.

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 T hey have stricken me, thou shalt say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not; when I shall awake, I will seek it yet again.

They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not hurt; They have beaten me, and I felt it not: When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.