1 When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
consider carefully what G is before you,
2 and put a knife to your throat
if you have a big H appetite;
3 don’t desire his choice food, a
for that food is deceptive.
4 Don’t wear yourself out to get rich; b
because you know better, stop!
5 As soon as your eyes fly to it, it disappears, c
for it makes wings for itself
and flies like an eagle to the sky.
6 Don’t eat a stingy person’s bread, I,d
and don’t desire his choice food, e
7 for it’s like someone calculating inwardly. J,f
“Eat and drink,” he says to you,
but his heart is not with you. g
8 You will vomit the little you’ve eaten
and waste your pleasant words.
for he will despise the insight of your words. h
10 Don’t move an ancient boundary marker, i
and don’t encroach on the fields of the fatherless,
11 for their Redeemer is strong, j
and he will champion their cause against you. k
12 Apply yourself to discipline
and listen to words of knowledge.
13 Don’t withhold discipline from a youth;
if you punish him with a rod, he will not die. l
and you will rescue his life from Sheol. m
15 My son, if your heart is wise,
my heart will indeed rejoice. n
16 My innermost being will celebrate
when your lips say what is right. o
17 Don’t let your heart envy sinners; p
instead, always fear the LORD. q
18 For then you will have a future,
and your hope will not be dashed. r
19 Listen, my son, and be wise;
keep your mind on the right course.
20 Don’t associate with those who drink too much wine s
or with those who gorge themselves on meat. t
21 For the drunkard and the glutton will become poor,
and grogginess will clothe them in rags. u
22 Listen to your father who gave you life,
and don’t despise your mother when L she is old. v
wisdom, instruction, and understanding. w
24 The father of a righteous son will rejoice greatly,
and one who fathers a wise son will delight in him. x
25 Let your father and mother have joy, y
and let her who gave birth to you rejoice.
26 My son, give me your heart,
and let your eyes observe my ways.
27 For a prostitute is a deep pit, z
and a wayward woman is a narrow well;
28 indeed, she sets an ambush like a robber a
and increases the number of unfaithful people.
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has conflicts? Who has complaints?
Who has wounds for no reason? b
Who has red eyes?
30 Those who linger over wine;
those who go looking for mixed wine. c
31 Don’t gaze at wine because it is red, d
because it gleams in the cup
and goes down smoothly. e
32 In the end it bites like a snake
and stings like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange things,
and you will say absurd things. M,f
34 You’ll be like someone sleeping out at sea
or lying down on the top of a ship’s mast.
35 “They struck me, but N I feel no pain!
They beat me, but I didn’t know it! g
When will I wake up?
I’ll look for another drink.” h