THE
PROVERBS
Proverbs 23 ©
Eating with lords and with angry people, verses 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8. Riches, 4, 5. Speaking before fools, 9. Ancient borders, 10. Fatherless, 10, 11. Discipline, 12, 13, 14, 23. Wisdom, truth and understanding, 15, 16, 19, 23, 24. Envy at the wicked and the fear of the Lord, 17, 18. Good children, 24. Winebibbers and gluttons, 20, 21, 29, etc. Slumbering, 21. Obedience to parents, 22, 25. Admonition to beware of whores, 26, 27, 28.
WHEN thou sittest to eat with a 1ruler, 2consider diligently 3what is before thee:
And 4put a 5knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to 6appetite.
Be not desirous of his 7dainties: for they are 8deceitful meat.
Labour not to be rich: cease from 9thine own wisdom.
Wilt thou set thine eyes 10upon that which is 11not? for 12riches 13certainly make themselves wings; they fly away 14as an eagle toward heaven.
Eat thou not the bread of 15him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his 16dainty meats:
For as 17he thinketh in his heart, 18so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou 19vomit up, and 20lose thy sweet words.
Speaka not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise 21the wisdom of thy words.
Removeb not the 22old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the 23fatherless:
For their 24redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their 25cause with thee.
Apply thine heart unto 26instruction, and thine ears to the words 27of knowledge.
Withholdc not 28correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall 29not die.
Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.
My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, 30even mine.
Yea, my 31reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak 32right things.
Let not thined heart envy 33sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD 34all the day long.
35Fore surely there is an 36end; and thine 37expectation shall not be cut off.
Hear thou, 38my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart 39in the way.
Bef not 40among winebibbers; 41among riotous eaters of flesh:
For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and 42drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
Hearkeng unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
43Buyh the 44truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
Thei father of the righteous shall 45greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.
46Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that 47bare thee shall rejoice.
My son, 48give me thine heart, and let thine 49eyes observe my 50ways.
Forj a whore is a 51deep ditch; and a 52strange woman is a narrow pit.
She also 53lieth in wait 54as for a prey, and 55increaseth the transgressors among men.
56Who hath woe? 57who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath 58babbling? who hath 59wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
Theyk that 60tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek 61mixed wine.
62Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his 63colour in the cup, when it moveth itself 64aright.
At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an 65adder.
Thine eyes shall behold 66strange women, and thine heart shall utter 67perverse things.
Yea, 68thou shalt be 69as he that lieth down in the 70midst of the sea, or as 71he that lieth upon the top of a mast.
72They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I 73awake? I will seek 74it yet again.