1When you sit down to dine with a ruler, consider carefully what is set before you,When you sit to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before you;When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee:When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, Consider diligently him that is before thee;2and put a knife to your throat if you possess a great appetite.put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite.And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.And put a knife to thy throat, If thou be a man given to appetite.3Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive.Don’t be desirous of his dainties, since they are deceitful food.Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.Be not desirous of his dainties; Seeing they are deceitful food.4Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough to restrain yourself.Don’t weary yourself to be rich. In your wisdom, show restraint.Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.Weary not thyself to be rich; Cease from thine own wisdom.5When you glance at wealth, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky.Why do you set your eyes on that which is not? For it certainly sprouts wings like an eagle and flies in the sky.Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings, Like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.6Do not eat the bread of a stingy man, and do not crave his delicacies;Don’t eat the food of him who has a stingy eye, and don’t crave his delicacies,Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, Neither desire thou his dainties:7for he is keeping track, inwardly counting the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.for as he thinks about the cost, so he is. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.For as he thinketh within himself, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; But his heart is not with thee.8You will vomit up what little you have eaten and waste your pleasant words.You will vomit up the morsel which you have eaten and waste your pleasant words.The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, And lose thy sweet words.9Do not speak to a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.Don’t speak in the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.Speak not in the hearing of a fool; For he will despise the wisdom of thy words.10Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless,Don’t move the ancient boundary stone. Don’t encroach on the fields of the fatherless,Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:Remove not the ancient landmark; And enter not into the fields of the fatherless:11for their Redeemer is strong; He will take up their case against you.for their Defender is strong. He will plead their case against you.For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their cause against thee.12Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to the words of knowledge.Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.Apply thy heart unto instruction, And thine ears to the words of knowledge.13Do not withhold discipline from a child; although you strike him with a rod, he will not die.Don’t withhold correction from a child. If you punish him with the rod, he will not die.Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.Withhold not correction from the child; For if thou beat him with the rod, he will not die.14Strike him with a rod, and you will deliver his soul from Sheol.Punish him with the rod, and save his soul from Sheol.Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.Thou shalt beat him with the rod, And shalt deliver his soul from Sheol.15My son, if your heart is wise, my own heart will indeed rejoice.My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad, even mine.My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.My son, if thy heart be wise, My heart will be glad, even mine:16My inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.Yes, my heart will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.Yea, my heart will rejoice, When thy lips speak right things.17Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always continue in the fear of the LORD.Don’t let your heart envy sinners, but rather fear Yahweh all day long.Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.Let not thy heart envy sinners; But be thou in the fear of Jehovah all the day long:18For surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.Indeed surely there is a future hope, and your hope will not be cut off.For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.For surely there is a reward; And thy hope shall not be cut off.19Listen, my son, and be wise, and guide your heart on the right course.Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path!Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.Hear thou, my son, and be wise, And guide thy heart in the way.20Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat.Don’t be among ones drinking too much wine, or those who gorge themselves on meat;Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:Be not among winebibbers, Among gluttonous eaters of flesh:21For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe them in rags.for the drunkard and the glutton shall become poor; and drowsiness clothes them in rags.For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; And drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.22Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.Listen to your father who gave you life, and don’t despise your mother when she is old.Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, And despise not thy mother when she is old.23Invest in truth and never sell it—in wisdom and instruction and understanding.Buy the truth, and don’t sell it. Get wisdom, discipline, and understanding.Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.Buy the truth, and sell it not; Yea, wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.24The father of a righteous man will greatly rejoice, and he who fathers a wise son will delight in him.The father of the righteous has great joy. Whoever fathers a wise child delights in him.The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; And he that begetteth a wise child will have joy of him.25May your father and mother be glad, and may she who gave you birth rejoice!Let your father and your mother be glad! Let her who bore you rejoice!Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.Let thy father and thy mother be glad, And let her that bare thee rejoice.26My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes delight in my ways.My son, give me your heart; and let your eyes keep in my ways.My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.My son, give me thy heart; And let thine eyes delight in my ways.27For a prostitute is a deep pit, and an adulteress is a narrow well.For a prostitute is a deep pit; and a wayward wife is a narrow well.For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.For a harlot is a deep ditch; And a foreign woman is a narrow pit.28Like a robber she lies in wait and multiplies the faithless among men.Yes, she lies in wait like a robber, and increases the unfaithful among men.She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.Yea, she lieth in wait as a robber, And increaseth the treacherous among men.29Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has needless wounds? Who has bloodshot eyes?Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? Who hath complaining? who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes?30Those who linger over wine, who go to taste mixed drinks.Those who stay long at the wine; those who go to seek out mixed wine.They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.They that tarry long at the wine; They that go to seek out mixed wine.31Do not gaze at wine while it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.Don’t look at the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly.Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, When it sparkleth in the cup, When it goeth down smoothly:32In the end it bites like a snake and stings like a viper.In the end, it bites like a snake, and poisons like a viper.At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.At the last it biteth like a serpent, And stingeth like an adder.33Your eyes will see strange things, and your mind will utter perversities.Your eyes will see strange things, and your mind will imagine confusing things.Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.Thine eyes shall behold strange things, And thy heart shall utter perverse things.34You will be like one sleeping on the high seas or lying on the top of a mast:Yes, you will be as he who lies down in the middle of the sea, or as he who lies on top of the rigging: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.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“They struck me, but I feel no pain! They beat me, but I did not know it! When can I wake up to search for another drink?”“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 will look for more.”They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.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.
Berean Standard Bible (public domain).World English Bible (public domain).King James Version (public domain in the US).American Standard Version, 1901 (public domain).