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Mishle 23
Orthodox Jewish Bible
Mishle 23
Orthodox Jewish Bible
23 When thou sittest to dine with a moshel (ruler), consider diligently what is before thee,
2 And put a sakin (knife) to thy throat, if thou be a ba’al nefesh (man given to gluttony).
3 Be not desirous of his delicacies, for they are lechem kezavim (deceitful food).
4 Overwork not to get rich; cease from thine own binah (understanding).
5 Wilt thou let thine eynayim fly after that which is not? For such [wealth] certainly sprouts kenafayim (wings); they fly away as a nesher (eagle) toward Shomayim.
6 Eat thou not the lechem of him that hath a rah ayin (evil eye, i.e., a miser), neither desire thou his delicacies;
7 For as he reckoneth in his nefesh, so is he. Eat and drink, saith he to thee, but his lev is not with thee.
8 The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy pleasant devarim.
9 Speak not in the oznayim of a kesil (fool), for he will despise the seichel of thy words.
10 Remove not the gevul olam (ancient landmark); and enter not into the sadot of the yetomim (fatherless ones, orphans),
11 For their Go’el is chazak (strong); He shall plead their cause against thee.
12 Apply thine lev unto musar, and thine oznayim to the words of da’as.
13 Withhold not musar (correction) from the na’ar (child), for if thou spank him with the shevet, he shall not die.
14 Thou shalt spank him with the shevet, and shalt save his nefesh from Sheol.
15 Beni (my son), if thine lev be chacham, my own lev shall have simchah.
16 Indeed, my inmost being shall rejoice, when thy sfatayim (lips) speak meisharim (upright things).
17 Let not thine lev envy chatta’im, but be thou in the Yirat Hashem kol hayom.
18 For surely there is an acharit (latter end, future), and thine tikvah shall not be cut off.
19 Hear thou, beni (my son), and be chacham, and guide thine lev straight on the derech.
20 Be not among yayin gluttons; among gluttonous eaters of basar,
21 For the drunkard and the zolel (glutton) shall come to poverty, and drowsiness shall clothe with rags.
22 Pay heed unto avicha that fathered thee, and despise not immecha when she is old.
23 Buy emes, and sell it not; also chochmah, and musar, and binah (understanding).
24 Avi tzaddik (the father of a righteous one) shall greatly rejoice, and he that fathereth a chacham shall have simchah in him.
25 Avicha and immecha shall be glad, and she that bore thee shall rejoice.
26 Beni (my son), give me thine lev, and let thine eynayim delight in my drakhim.
27 For a zonah is a deep pit, and a nokhriyah (strange woman, foreign woman, seductress, unfaithful wife) is a narrow well.
28 She also lieth in wait like a road bandit, and increaseth the bogedim (unfaithful) among adam (mankind).
29 Who hath oy (woe)? Who hath sorrow? Who hath strifes? Who hath complaint? Who hath needless wounds? Who hath bloodshot eynayim?
30 They that tarry long at the yayin, they that turn in to sample mixed wine.
31 Stare not thou into the yayin when it is red, when it sparkles in the kos (cup), when it goeth down smoothly.
32 At the acharit (latter end, future) it biteth like a nachash, and stingeth with venomous poisons like a viper.
33 Thine eynayim shall behold zarot (strange women), and thine lev shall utter perverse things.
34 Indeed, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the lev yam (heart of the sea), or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.
35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not hurt; they have beaten me, and I felt it not. Mosai (when) shall I awake? I will seek yet another drink.
Proverbs 23
New International Version
Proverbs 23
New International Version
Saying 7
23 When you sit to dine with a ruler,
note well what[a] is before you,
2 and put a knife to your throat
if you are given to gluttony.
3 Do not crave his delicacies,(A)
for that food is deceptive.
Saying 8
4 Do not wear yourself out to get rich;
do not trust your own cleverness.
5 Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone,(B)
for they will surely sprout wings
and fly off to the sky like an eagle.(C)
Saying 9
6 Do not eat the food of a begrudging host,
do not crave his delicacies;(D)
7 for he is the kind of person
who is always thinking about the cost.[b]
“Eat and drink,” he says to you,
but his heart is not with you.
8 You will vomit up the little you have eaten
and will have wasted your compliments.
Saying 10
9 Do not speak to fools,
for they will scorn your prudent words.(E)
Saying 11
10 Do not move an ancient boundary stone(F)
or encroach on the fields of the fatherless,
11 for their Defender(G) is strong;(H)
he will take up their case against you.(I)
Saying 12
12 Apply your heart to instruction(J)
and your ears to words of knowledge.
Saying 13
13 Do not withhold discipline from a child;
if you punish them with the rod, they will not die.
14 Punish them with the rod
and save them from death.(K)
Saying 14
15 My son, if your heart is wise,
then my heart will be glad indeed;
16 my inmost being will rejoice
when your lips speak what is right.(L)
Saying 15
17 Do not let your heart envy(M) sinners,
but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord.
18 There is surely a future hope for you,
and your hope will not be cut off.(N)
Saying 16
19 Listen, my son,(O) and be wise,
and set your heart on the right path:
20 Do not join those who drink too much wine(P)
or gorge themselves on meat,
21 for drunkards and gluttons become poor,(Q)
and drowsiness clothes them in rags.
Saying 17
22 Listen to your father, who gave you life,
and do not despise your mother when she is old.(R)
23 Buy the truth and do not sell it—
wisdom, instruction and insight as well.(S)
24 The father of a righteous child has great joy;
a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him.(T)
25 May your father and mother rejoice;
may she who gave you birth be joyful!(U)
Saying 18
26 My son,(V) give me your heart
and let your eyes delight in my ways,(W)
27 for an adulterous woman is a deep pit,(X)
and a wayward wife is a narrow well.
28 Like a bandit she lies in wait(Y)
and multiplies the unfaithful among men.
Saying 19
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has strife? Who has complaints?
Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?
30 Those who linger over wine,(Z)
who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.
31 Do not gaze at wine when it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup,
when it goes down smoothly!
32 In the end it bites like a snake
and poisons like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange sights,
and your mind will imagine confusing things.
34 You will be like one sleeping on the high seas,
lying on top of the rigging.
35 “They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt!
They beat me, but I don’t feel it!
When will I wake up
so I can find another drink?”(AA)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 23:1 Or who
- Proverbs 23:7 Or for as he thinks within himself, / so he is; or for as he puts on a feast, / so he is
Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB)
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