1 W hen thou sittest to eat with a ruler, Thou considerest diligently that which before thee,

2 A nd thou hast put a knife to thy throat, If thou a man of appetite.

3 H ave no desire to his dainties, seeing it lying food.

4 L abour not to make wealth, From thine own understanding cease, Dost thou cause thine eyes to fly upon it? Then it is not.

5 F or wealth maketh to itself wings, As an eagle it flieth to the heavens.

6 E at not the bread of an evil eye, And have no desire to his dainties,

7 F or as he hath thought in his soul, so he, `Eat and drink,' saith he to thee, And his heart not with thee.

8 T hy morsel thou hast eaten thou dost vomit up, And hast marred thy words that sweet.

9 I n the ears of a fool speak not, For he treadeth on the wisdom of thy words.

10 R emove not a border of olden times, And into fields of the fatherless enter not,

11 F or their Redeemer strong, He doth plead their cause with thee.

12 B ring in to instruction thy heart, And thine ear to sayings of knowledge.

13 W ithhold not from a youth chastisement, When thou smitest him with a rod he dieth not.

14 T hou with a rod smitest him, And his soul from Sheol thou deliverest.

15 M y son, if thy heart hath been wise, My heart rejoiceth, even mine,

16 A nd my reins exult when thy lips speak uprightly.

17 L et not thy heart be envious at sinners, But -- in the fear of Jehovah all the day.

18 F or, is there a posterity? Then thy hope is not cut off.

19 H ear thou, my son, and be wise, And make happy in the way thy heart,

20 B e not thou among quaffers of wine, Among gluttonous ones of flesh,

21 F or the quaffer and glutton become poor, And drowsiness clotheth with rags.

22 H earken to thy father, who begat thee, And despise not thy mother when she hath become old.

23 T ruth buy, and sell not, Wisdom, and instruction, and understanding,

24 T he father of the righteous rejoiceth greatly, The begetter of the wise rejoiceth in him.

25 R ejoice doth thy father and thy mother, Yea, she that bare thee is joyful.

26 G ive, my son, thy heart to me, And let thine eyes watch my ways.

27 F or a harlot a deep ditch, And a strange woman a strait pit.

28 S he also, as catching prey, lieth in wait, And the treacherous among men she increaseth.

29 W ho hath wo? who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions? who hath plaint? Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes?

30 T hose tarrying by the wine, Those going in to search out mixed wine.

31 S ee not wine when it showeth itself red, When it giveth in the cup its colour, It goeth up and down through the upright.

32 I ts latter end -- as a serpent it biteth, And as a basilisk it stingeth.

33 T hine eyes see strange women, And thy heart speaketh perverse things.

34 A nd 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!'