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 art a man given to appetite.

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

Do not be desirous of his dainties; for they are deceitful food.

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

¶ Do not labour 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 riches which are not? For they shall certainly make themselves wings; they shall fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

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

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

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

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

Didst thou eat thy part? Thou shalt vomit it 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.

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

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

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

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

For their redeemer is mighty; he shall judge their cause against thee.

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

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

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

Do not withhold correction from the child; for if thou shall beat 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 Sheol.

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

My son, if thy heart is wise, my heart shall also rejoice;

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

my kidneys shall also 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 thy heart envy sinners, but persevere in the fear of the LORD all day long.

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

For surely there is an end, and thy hope 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 straighten thy heart in the way.

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

Do not be among those who are drunk with wine; nor among gluttonous eaters of food;

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 cause them to wear 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 begets a wise child shall have joy with 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 bore 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 lies in wait as for a prey and increases 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?

¶ 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?

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

For those that tarry long at the wine; those 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;

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

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

At the last it bites like a serpent and stings 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 lies down in the midst of the sea or as he that sleeps at the rudder.

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, 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.