1 W hen you sit down to dine with a ruler, Consider carefully what is before you,

When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee:

2 A nd put a knife to your throat If you are a man of great appetite.

and put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.

3 D o not desire his delicacies, For it is deceptive food.

Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.

4 D o not weary yourself to gain wealth, Cease from your consideration of it.

Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.

5 W hen you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.

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 D o not eat the bread of a selfish man, Or desire his delicacies;

Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:

7 F or as he thinks within himself, so he is. He says to you, “Eat and drink!” But his heart is not with you.

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 Y ou will vomit up the morsel you have eaten, And waste your compliments.

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

9 D o not speak in the hearing of a fool, For he will despise the wisdom of your words.

Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

10 D o not move the ancient boundary Or go into the fields of the fatherless,

Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:

11 F or their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their case against you.

for their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.

12 A pply your heart to discipline And your ears to words of knowledge.

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

13 D o not hold back discipline from the child, Although you strike him with the rod, he will not die.

Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.

14 Y ou shall strike him with the rod And rescue his soul from Sheol.

Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.

15 M y son, if your heart is wise, My own heart also will be glad;

My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.

16 A nd my inmost being will rejoice When your lips speak what is right.

Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.

17 D o not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the Lord always.

Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.

18 S urely there is a future, And your hope will not be cut off.

For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

19 L isten, my son, and be wise, And direct your heart in the way.

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

20 D o not be with heavy drinkers of wine, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat;

Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:

21 F or the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe one with rags.

for the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

22 L isten to your father who begot you, And do not despise your mother when she is old.

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

23 B uy truth, and do not sell it, Get wisdom and instruction and understanding.

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

24 T he father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who sires a wise son will be glad in him.

The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.

25 L et your father and your mother be glad, And let her rejoice who gave birth to you.

Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.

26 G ive me your heart, my son, And let your eyes delight in my ways.

My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.

27 F or a harlot is a deep pit And an adulterous woman is a narrow well.

For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.

28 S urely she lurks as a robber, And increases the faithless among men.

She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.

29 W ho has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?

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

30 T hose who linger long over wine, Those who go to taste mixed wine.

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

31 D o not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it goes down smoothly;

Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

32 A t the last it bites like a serpent And stings like a viper.

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

33 Y our eyes will see strange things And your mind will utter perverse things.

Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.

34 A nd you will be like one who lies down in the middle of the sea, Or like one who lies down on the top of a mast.

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 struck me, but I did not become ill; They beat me, but I did not know it. When shall I awake? I will seek another drink.”

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.