Proverbs 23
1 When you sit down for a meal with a ruler, look carefully at what is placed before you,
Quando sederis ut comedas cum principe, diligenter attende quæ apposita sunt ante faciem tuam:
2 and cut down if you have a big appetite.
et statue cultrum in gutture tuo, si tamen habes in potestate animam tuam,
3 Don't be greedy for his fancy food, for it's offered with deceptive motives.
ne desideres de cibis eius, in quo est panis mendacii.
4 Don't wear yourself out trying to get rich—be wise enough not to bother!
Noli laborare ut diteris: sed prudentiæ tuæ ponde modum.
5 It disappears in the blink of an eye, suddenly growing wings and flying off into the sky like an eagle.
Ne erigas oculos tuos ad opes, quas non potes habere: quia facient sibi pennas quasi aquilæ, et volabunt in cælum.
6 Don't accept meal invitations from miserly people; don't be greedy for their fancy food,
Ne comedas cum homine invido, et ne desideres cibos eius:
7 for what they're thinking inside is what they really are. They say, “Come on, eat and drink!”—but in their minds they don't really care about you.
quoniam in similitudinem arioli, et coniectoris, æstimat quod ignorat. Comede et bibe, dicet tibi: et mens eius non est tecum.
8 You'll vomit up the little pieces you've eaten, and your kind words of appreciation will be wasted.
Cibos, quos comederas, evomes: et perdes pulchros sermones tuos.
9 Don't talk to stupid people because they'll ridicule your wise words.
In auribus insipientium ne loquaris: qui despicient doctrinam eloquii tui.
10 Don't move ancient boundary markers, and don't encroach on fields belonging to orphans,
Ne attingas parvulorum terminos: et agrum pupillorum ne introeas:
11 for their Protector is powerful and he will plead their case against you.
Propinquus enim illorum fortis est: et ipse iudicabit contra te causam illorum.
12 Focus your mind on instruction; listen intently to words of knowledge.
Ingrediatur ad doctrinam cor tuum: et aures tuæ ad verba scientiæ.
13 Don't keep from disciplining your children—a beating won't kill them.
Noli subtrahere a puero disciplinam: si enim percusseris eum virga, non morietur.
Tu virga percuties eum: et animam eius de inferno liberabis. (Sheol h7585)
15 My son, if you think wisely then I'll be happy;
Fili mi, si sapiens fuerit animus tuus, gaudebit tecum cor meum:
16 I'll be delighted when you say what's right.
et exultabunt renes mei, cum locuta fuerint rectum labia tua.
17 Don't think enviously of sinners, but always remember to honor the Lord,
Non æmuletur cor tuum peccatores: sed in timore Domini esto tota die:
18 for there's definitely a future for you, and your hope will not be crushed.
quia habebis spem in novissimo, et præstolatio tua non auferetur.
19 Pay attention, my son, and be wise; make sure your mind concentrates on following the right way.
Audi fili mi, et esto sapiens: et dirige in via animum tuum.
20 Don't join in with people who drink too much wine or who stuff themselves with meat.
Noli esse in conviviis potatorum, nec in comessationibus eorum, qui carnes ad vescendum conferunt:
21 For people who get drunk and overeat lose all they've got, and they spend so much time dozing that all they have left to wear is rags.
quia vacantes potibus, et dantes symbola consumentur, et vestietur pannis dormitatio.
22 Pay attention to your father, and don't disregard your mother when she's old.
Audi patrem tuum, qui genuit te: et ne contemnas cum senuerit mater tua.
23 Invest in truth—and don't sell it! Invest in wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
Veritatem eme, et noli vendere sapientiam, et doctrinam, et intelligentiam.
24 Children who do right make their fathers very happy; a wise son brings joy to his father.
Exultat gaudio pater iusti: qui sapientem genuit, lætabitur in eo.
25 Make your father and mother happy; bring joy to her who gave birth to you.
Gaudeat pater tuus, et mater tua, et exultet quæ genuit te.
26 My son, give me your undivided attention, and cheerfully follow my example.
Præbe fili mi cor tuum mihi: et oculi tui vias meas custodiant.
27 A prostitute is like being trapped in a pit; an immoral woman is like getting stuck a narrow well,
Fovea enim profunda est meretrix: et puteus angustus, aliena.
28 Like a robber, she lies in wait ready to ambush men and make more of them unfaithful to their wives.
Insidiatur in via quasi latro, et quos incautos viderit, interficiet.
29 Who's in trouble? Who's in pain? Who's arguing? Who's complaining? Who's injured for no reason? Who's got bloodshot eyes?
Cui væ? cuius patri væ? cui rixæ? cui foveæ? cui sine causa vulnera? cui suffusio oculorum?
30 —those who spend a long time drinking wine, those who are always trying some new cocktail.
Nonne his, qui commorantur in vino, et student calicibus epotandis?
31 Don't let the look of wine tempt you—how red it is, how it sparkles in the cup, how smooth it feels as it goes down.
Ne intuearis vinum quando flavescit, cum splenduerit in vitro color eius: ingreditur blande,
32 In the end it bites like a serpent, it stings like a snake.
sed in novissimo mordebit ut coluber, et sicut regulus venena diffundet.
33 You'll hallucinate, seeing strange things, and your confused mind will make you say all kinds of craziness.
Oculi tui videbunt extraneas, et cor tuum loquetur perversa.
34 You'll stumble around like you're on the rolling ocean, you'll be tossed about like someone lying down at the top of a ship's mast, saying,
Et eris sicut dormiens in medio mari, et quasi sopitus gubernator, amisso clavo:
35 “People punched me, but it didn't hurt me; they beat me, but I didn't feel a thing. I've got to get up because I need another drink.”
et dices: Verberaverunt me, sed non dolui: traxerunt me, et ego non sensi: quando evigilabo, et rursus vina reperiam?
