Proverbs

¹ When you sit down to dine with a ruler, Understand well what is before you,

² If you are a man of appetite.

³ For it is bread of falsehood.

⁴ Because of your understanding, cease!

⁵ Because it certainly makes itself wings Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.

⁶ And do not desire his delicacies;

⁷ “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you.

⁸ And you will corrupt your pleasant words.

⁹ For he will despise the insight of your speech.

¹⁰ And do not come into the fields of the orphans,

¹¹ He will plead their case against you.

¹² And your ears to words of knowledge.

¹³ Although you strike him with the rod, he will not die.

¹⁴ And deliver his soul from Sheol.

¹⁵ My own heart also will be glad;

¹⁶ When your lips speak upright things.

¹⁷ But be zealous in the fear of Yahweh always.

¹⁸ And your hope will not be cut off.

¹⁹ And direct your heart in the way.

²⁰ Or with gluttonous eaters of meat;

²¹ And drowsiness will clothe them with rags.

²² And do not despise your mother when she is old.

²³ Get wisdom and discipline and understanding.

²⁴ And he who begets a wise son will be glad in him.

²⁵ And let her rejoice who gave birth to you.

²⁶ And let your eyes delight in my ways.

²⁷ And a foreign woman is a narrow well.

²⁸ And adds to the treacherous among men.

²⁹ Who has contentions? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?

³⁰ Those who go to search out mixed wine.

³¹ When it sparkles in the cup, When it goes down smoothly;

³² And like a viper it stings.

³³ And your heart will speak perverse things.

³⁴ Or like one who lies down on the top of a mast.

³⁵ They beat me, but I did not know it. When shall I awake? I will seek yet another.”