^{1 Ref} When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, Consider diligently him that is before thee;

^{2 Ref} And put a knife to thy throat, If thou be a man given to appetite.

^{3 Ref} Be not desirous of his dainties; Seeing they are deceitful food.

^{4 Ref} Weary not thyself to be rich; Cease from thine own wisdom.

^{5 Ref} Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For `riches' certainly make themselves wings, Like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.

^{6 Ref} Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, Neither desire thou his dainties:

^{7 Ref} For as he thinketh within himself, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; But his heart is not with thee.

⁸ The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, And lose thy sweet words.

^{9 Ref} Speak not in the hearing of a fool; For he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

^{10 Ref} Remove not the ancient landmark; And enter not into the fields of the fatherless:

^{11 Ref} For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their cause against thee.

^{12 Ref} Apply thy heart unto instruction, And thine ears to the words of knowledge.

^{13 Ref} Withhold not correction from the child; `For' if thou beat him with the rod, he will not die.

^{14 Ref} Thou shalt beat him with the rod, And shalt deliver his soul from Sheol.

^{15 Ref} My son, if thy heart be wise, My heart will be glad, even mine:

^{16 Ref} Yea, my heart will rejoice, When thy lips speak right things.

^{17 Ref} Let not thy heart envy sinners; But `be thou' in the fear of Jehovah all the day long:

^{18 Ref} For surely there is a reward; And thy hope shall not be cut off.

^{19 Ref} Hear thou, my son, and be wise, And guide thy heart in the way.

^{20 Ref} Be not among winebibbers, Among gluttonous eaters of flesh:

^{21 Ref} For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; And drowsiness will clothe `a man' with rags.

^{22 Ref} Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, And despise not thy mother when she is old.

^{23 Ref} Buy the truth, and sell it not; `Yea', wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

^{24 Ref} The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; And he that begetteth a wise child will have joy of him.

^{25 Ref} Let thy father and thy mother be glad, And let her that bare thee rejoice.

^{26 Ref} My son, give me thy heart; And let thine eyes delight in my ways.

^{27 Ref} For a harlot is a deep ditch; And a foreign woman is a narrow pit.

^{28 Ref} Yea, she lieth in wait as a robber, And increaseth the treacherous among men.

^{29 Ref} Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? Who hath complaining? who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes?

^{30 Ref} They that tarry long at the wine; They that go to seek out mixed wine.

^{31 Ref} Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, When it sparkleth in the cup, When it goeth down smoothly:

^{32 Ref} At the last it biteth like a serpent, And stingeth like an adder.

^{33 Ref} Thine eyes shall behold strange things, And thy heart shall utter perverse things.

^{34 Ref} Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, Or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.

^{35 Ref} They have stricken me, `shalt thou say', and I was not hurt; They have beaten me, and I felt it not: When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

^{1 Ref} When you take your seat at the feast with a ruler, give thought with care to what is before you;

^{2 Ref} And put a knife to your throat, if you have a strong desire for food.

^{3 Ref} Have no desire for his delicate food, for it is the bread of deceit.

^{4 Ref} Take no care to get wealth; let there be an end to your desire for money.

^{5 Ref} Are your eyes lifted up to it? it is gone: for wealth takes to itself wings, like an eagle in flight up to heaven.

^{6 Ref} Do not take the food of him who has an evil eye, or have any desire for his delicate meat:

^{7 Ref} For as the thoughts of his heart are, so is he: Take food and drink, he says to you; but his heart is not with you.

⁸ The food which you have taken will come up again, and your pleasing words will be wasted.

^{9 Ref} Say nothing in the hearing of a foolish man, for he will put no value on the wisdom of your words.

^{10 Ref} Do not let the landmark of the widow be moved, and do not go into the fields of those who have no father;

^{11 Ref} For their saviour is strong, and he will take up their cause against you.

^{12 Ref} Give your heart to teaching, and your ears to the words of knowledge.

^{13 Ref} Do not keep back training from the child: for even if you give him blows with the rod, it will not be death to him.

^{14 Ref} Give him blows with the rod, and keep his soul safe from the underworld.

^{15 Ref} My son, if your heart becomes wise, I, even I, will be glad in heart;

^{16 Ref} And my thoughts in me will be full of joy when your lips say right things.

^{17 Ref} Have no envy of sinners in your heart, but keep in the fear of the Lord all through the day;

^{18 Ref} For without doubt there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.

^{19 Ref} Give ear, my son, and be wise, guiding your heart in the right way.

^{20 Ref} Do not be among those who give themselves to wine-drinking, or among those who make themselves full with meat:

^{21 Ref} For those who take delight in drink and feasting will come to be in need; and through love of sleep a man will be poorly clothed.

^{22 Ref} Give ear to your father whose child you are, and do not keep honour from your mother when she is old.

^{23 Ref} Get for yourself that which is true, and do not let it go for money; get wisdom and teaching and good sense.

^{24 Ref} The father of the upright man will be glad, and he who has a wise child will have joy because of him.

^{25 Ref} Let your father and your mother be glad, let her who gave you birth have joy.

^{26 Ref} My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes take delight in my ways.

^{27 Ref} For a loose woman is a deep hollow, and a strange woman is a narrow water-hole.

^{28 Ref} Yes, she is waiting secretly like a beast for its food, and deceit by her is increased among men.

^{29 Ref} Who says, Oh! who says, Ah! who has violent arguments, who has grief, who has wounds without cause, whose eyes are dark?

^{30 Ref} Those who are seated late over the wine: those who go looking for mixed wine.

^{31 Ref} Keep your eyes from looking on the wine when it is red, when its colour is bright in the cup, when it goes smoothly down:

^{32 Ref} In the end, its bite is like that of a snake, its wound like the wound of a poison-snake.

^{33 Ref} Your eyes will see strange things, and you will say twisted things.

^{34 Ref} Yes, you will be like him who takes his rest on the sea, or on the top of a sail-support.

^{35 Ref} They have overcome me, you will say, and I have no pain; they gave me blows without my feeling them: when will I be awake from my wine? I will go after it again.

^{1 Ref} When you sit to eat with a ruler, Consider diligently what is before you;

^{2 Ref} Put a knife to your throat, If you are a man given to appetite.

^{3 Ref} Don't be desirous of his dainties, Seeing they are deceitful food.

^{4 Ref} Don't weary yourself to be rich. In your wisdom, show restraint.

^{5 Ref} Why do you set your eyes on that which is not? For it certainly sprouts wings like an eagle and flies in the sky.

^{6 Ref} Don't eat the food of him who has a stingy eye, And don't crave his delicacies:

^{7 Ref} For as he thinks about the cost, so he is. "Eat and drink!" he says to you, But his heart is not with you.

⁸ The morsel which you have eaten you shall vomit up, And lose your good words.

^{9 Ref} Don't speak in the ears of a fool, For he will despise the wisdom of your words.

^{10 Ref} Don't move the ancient boundary stone. Don't encroach on the fields of the fatherless:

^{11 Ref} For their Defender is strong. He will plead their case against you.

^{12 Ref} Apply your heart to instruction, And your ears to the words of knowledge.

^{13 Ref} Don't withhold correction from a child. If you punish him with the rod, he will not die.

^{14 Ref} Punish him with the rod, And save his soul from Sheol.

^{15 Ref} My son, if your heart is wise, Then my heart will be glad, even mine:

^{16 Ref} Yes, my heart will rejoice, When your lips speak what is right.

^{17 Ref} Don't let your heart envy sinners; But rather fear Yahweh all the day long.

^{18 Ref} Indeed surely there is a future hope, And your hope will not be cut off.

^{19 Ref} Listen, my son, and be wise, And keep your heart on the right path!

^{20 Ref} Don't be among ones drinking too much wine, Or those who gorge themselves on meat:

^{21 Ref} For the drunkard and the glutton shall become poor; And drowsiness clothes them in rags.

^{22 Ref} Listen to your father who gave you life, And don't despise your mother when she is old.

^{23 Ref} Buy the truth, and don't sell it: Get wisdom, discipline, and understanding.

^{24 Ref} The father of the righteous has great joy. Whoever fathers a wise child delights in him.

^{25 Ref} Let your father and your mother be glad! Let her who bore you rejoice!

^{26 Ref} My son, give me your heart; And let your eyes keep in my ways.

^{27 Ref} For a prostitute is a deep pit; And a wayward wife is a narrow well.

^{28 Ref} Yes, she lies in wait like a robber, And increases the unfaithful among men.

^{29 Ref} Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?

^{30 Ref} Those who stay long at the wine; Those who go to seek out mixed wine.

^{31 Ref} Don't look at the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it goes down smoothly:

^{32 Ref} In the end, it bites like a snake, And poisons like a viper.

^{33 Ref} Your eyes will see strange things, And your mind will imagine confusing things.

^{34 Ref} Yes, you will be as he who lies down in the midst of the sea, Or as he who lies on top of the rigging:

^{35 Ref} "They hit me, and I was not hurt; They beat me, and I don't feel it! When will I wake up? I can do it again. I can find another."