Proverbs 23
1 When you sit down to eat a meal with a (government official/king), think carefully about what (OR, who) is in front of you.
When you sit to eat with a ruler, observe carefully what is before you,
2 [Even] if you (have a big appetite/want to eat a lot of food), restrain yourself.
and put a knife to your throat if you are a person who likes to eat a lot of food.
3 Do not want to eat [a lot of] his fine food, because he may be trying to trick you.
Do not crave his delicacies, for it is the food of lies.
4 Do not [cause yourself to become very tired by] working very hard to become rich; be wise and stop doing that,
Do not work too hard to gain wealth; be wise enough to know when to stop.
5 because as soon as you look [MTY] at [all the money that you have acquired], it will be gone; it will [disappear as if it] suddenly grew wings [SIM] and flew up into the sky like an eagle.
Will you let your eyes light upon it? It will be gone, for it will surely take up wings like an eagle and fly off to the sky.
6 [If] someone who is stingy [invites you to a meal], do not eat [a lot of] his fine food,
Do not eat the food of one with an evil eye— and do not crave his delicacies,
7 because he will be thinking about how much [the food cost that you are eating]. He [will] say to you, “Eat and drink all that you want!”, but that is not what he [will] really be thinking.
for he is the kind of man who counts the price of the food. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.
8 [When you realize what he is really thinking, it will cause you to want to] vomit what you have eaten; and your kind words [telling him that you are enjoying the meal] will be wasted.
You will vomit up the little you have eaten and you will have wasted your compliments.
9 (Do not [waste time by]/It is useless) talking to foolish people; they will [only] despise the wise things that you say.
Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.
10 Do not [steal someone’s property by] removing a boundary marker that has been there for a long time, and do not take for yourself the land that belongs to orphans,
Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of orphans,
11 because Yahweh is strong, and he is [like] a relative that has the responsibility to defend them, he will [stand up in court and] argue for them and against you.
for their Redeemer is strong and he will plead their case against you.
12 Pay attention to what [your teachers] teach you, and try to learn from the wise things that they say.
Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.
13 Do not refuse to discipline your children; if you punish/spank them, it will not cause them to die,
Do not withhold instruction from a child, for if you discipline him, he will not die.
It is you who must beat him with the rod and save his soul from Sheol. (Sheol h7585)
15 My son/child, if you [SYN] become wise, I [SYN] will be very happy.
My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart also will be glad;
16 I [SYN] will rejoice when I hear you [SYN] say what is right/wise.
my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.
17 Do not envy sinful people; instead, revere Yahweh all of your life.
Do not let your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of Yahweh all the day.
18 [If you do that], you will be happy in the future, and [God] will certainly [do for you what you are] confidently expecting him to do.
Surely there is a future and your hope will not be cut off.
19 My son/child, listen carefully to me and become wise, and think about (all that you do/your behavior).
Hear—you!—my son, and be wise and direct your heart in the way.
20 Do not associate with those who drink a lot of (wine/strong drink) or with those who (are gluttons/eat more than they should),
Do not associate with drunkards, or with gluttonous eaters of meat,
21 because drunkards and gluttons will become poor; and if all that you do is eat and sleep, you will [soon] (be wearing rags/not have any money to buy clothes).
for the drunkard and the glutton become poor and slumber will clothe them with rags.
22 Pay attention to what your father tells you, and (do not neglect/take care of) [LIT] your mother when she is old.
Listen to your father who begot you and do not despise your mother when she is old.
23 Try to know/learn what is wise, and get good instruction and understanding; and do not throw those things away.
Buy the truth, but do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
24 Righteous [children] will cause their parents to be very happy; those whose children are wise are proud of them.
The father of the righteous person will greatly rejoice, and he who begets a wise child will be glad in him.
25 [Do what will] cause your father to be glad and enable your mother [also] to be happy.
Let your father and your mother be glad and let her who bore you rejoice.
26 My son, heed what I say to you, and allow what I do to be an example for you.
My son, give me your heart and let your eyes observe my ways.
27 Prostitutes and immoral women [DOU] are [like] [MET] a deep pit or a well [that you may fall into].
For a prostitute is a deep pit, and an immoral woman is a narrow well.
28 They wait [for you] like robbers [SIM], and they cause many men to (be unfaithful to/have sex with women who are not) their wives.
She lies in wait like a robber and she increases the number of the treacherous among humanity.
29 I will tell you [RHQ] what kind of people are always miserable and sad. I will tell you [RHQ] which people are always causing arguments/quarrels and who are always complaining. I will tell you [RHQ] who are injured in fights and whose eyes are always red/bloodshot.
Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has fights? Who has complaining? Who has wounds for no reason? Who has bloodshot eyes?
30 [It is] those who drink a lot of wine, who try drinking other kinds of strong drinks.
Those who linger over wine, those who try the mixed wine.
31 Do not look with pleasure at red wine that looks nice, and which sparkles when it is [poured out] into cups, and which tastes good as you drink it,
Do not look at the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.
32 because the next morning [you will feel like] you have been bitten by a poisonous snake [DOU].
In the last it bites like a serpent and it stings like an adder.
33 You [SYN] will [think that you are] seeing strange/weird things, and you [SYN] will not be able to think clearly or speak clearly.
Your eyes will see strange things and your heart will utter perverse things.
34 You will think you are in a ship that is tossing on the sea; you be like [SIM] someone who is trying to sleep when the ship is rolling from one side to the other.
You will be as one who sleeps on the high seas or lies on the top of a mast.
35 You will say, “[I think that] someone struck me, but he did not hurt me; he hit me, but I did not feel it. When will I (wake up/feel normal again) in order that I can drink some more wine?”
“They hit me,” you will say, “but I was not hurt. They beat me, but I did not feel it. When will I wake up? I will seek another drink.”
