Online Bible

On Life and Conduct

When you sit down to dine with a ruler,Consider carefully ¹what is before you,2 And put a knife to your throatIf you are a ^aperson of great appetite.3 Do not ^adesire his delicacies,For it is deceptive food.

4 ^aDo not weary yourself to gain wealth;¹^bStop dwelling on it.5 ¹When you set your eyes on it, it is gone.For ^awealth certainly makes itself wingsLike an eagle that flies toward the heavens.

6 ^aDo not eat the bread of ¹a ^bselfish person;Or desire his delicacies;7 For as he ¹thinks within himself, so he is.He says to you, “Eat and drink!”But ^ahis heart is not with you.8 You will ^avomit up ¹the morsel you have eatenAnd waste your ²compliments.

9 ^aDo not speak ¹to be heard by a fool,For he will ^bdespise the wisdom of your words.

10 Do not move the ancient boundaryOr ^ago into the fields of the fatherless,11 For their ^aRedeemer is strong;^bHe will plead their case against you.12 Apply your heart to discipline,And your ears to words of knowledge.

13 ^aDo not withhold discipline from a child;Though you strike him with the rod, he will not die.14 You shall strike him with the rodAnd ^arescue his soul from Sheol.

15 My son, if your heart is ^awise,My own heart also will be glad,16 And my ¹innermost being will rejoiceWhen your lips speak ^awhat is right.

17 ^aDo not let your heart envy sinners,But live in ¹the ^bfear of the LORD ²always.18 Certainly there is a ¹^afuture,And your ^bhope will not be cut off.19 Listen, my son, and ^abe wise,And ^bdirect your heart in the way.20 Do not be with ^aheavy drinkers of wine,Or with ^bgluttonous eaters of meat;21 For the ^aheavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty,And ^bdrowsiness will clothe one with rags.

22 ^aListen to your father, who fathered you,And ^bdo not despise your mother when she is old.23 ^aBuy truth, and do not sell it,Get wisdom, instruction, and understanding.

24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice,And ^ahe who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.25 Let your ^afather and your mother be glad,And let her rejoice who gave birth to you.

26 ^aGive me your heart, my son,And let your eyes ¹^bdelight in my ways.27 For a prostitute is a ^adeep pit,And a ¹^bstrange woman is a narrow well.28 Certainly she ^alurks as a robber,And increases the treacherous among mankind.

29 Who has ^awoe? Who has sorrow?Who has contentions? Who has complaining?Who has wounds without cause?Who has red eyes?30 Those who ^alinger long over wine,Those who go to ¹taste ^bmixed wine.31 Do not look at wine when it is red,When it ¹sparkles in the cup,When it ^agoes down smoothly;32 In the end it ^abites like a snakeAnd stings like a ^bviper.33 Your eyes will see strange thingsAnd your ¹mind will ^asay perverse things.34 And you will be like one who lies down in the ¹middle of the sea,Or like one who lies down on the top of a ²mast.35 “They ^astruck me, but I did not become ¹ill;They beat me, but I did not know it.When will I awake?I will ^bseek ²another drink.”

The Fear of Yahweh

When you sit down to dine with a ruler,Understand well ¹what is before you,2 So you should put a knife to your throatIf you are a ^aman of appetite.3 Do not ^adesire his delicacies,For it is bread of falsehood.

4 ^aDo not weary yourself to gain wealth,^bBecause of your understanding, cease!5 Do you make your eyes fly up to see it? But it is not there!Because ^ait certainly makes itself wingsLike an eagle that flies toward the heavens.

6 ^aDo not eat the bread of ¹a ^bselfish man,And do not desire his delicacies;7 For as he ¹calculates in his soul, so he is.“Eat and drink!” he says to you,But ^ahis heart is not with you.8 You will ^avomit up ¹the morsel you have eaten,And you will corrupt your pleasant words.

9 ^aDo not speak in the ¹hearing of a fool,For he will ^bdespise the insight of your speech.

10 Do not move the ancient boundaryAnd do not ^acome into the fields of the orphans,11 For their ^aRedeemer is strong;^bHe will plead their case against you.12 Bring your heart to disciplineAnd your ears to ¹words of knowledge.

13 ^aDo not withhold discipline from the child,Although you ¹strike him with the rod, he will not die.14 You shall ¹strike him with the rodAnd ^adeliver his soul from Sheol.

15 My son, if your heart is ^awise,My own heart also will be glad;16 And my ¹inmost being will exultWhen your lips speak ^aupright things.

17 ^aDo not let your heart be jealous of sinners,But be zealous in the ¹^bfear of Yahweh ²always.18 Surely there is a ¹^afuture,And your ^bhope will not be cut off.19 You, my son, listen and ^abe wise,And ^bdirect your heart in the way.20 Do not be with ^aheavy drinkers of wine,Or with ^bgluttonous eaters of meat;21 For the ^aheavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty,And ^bdrowsiness will clothe them with rags.

22 ^aListen to your father who begot you,And ^bdo not despise your mother when she is old.23 ^aBuy truth, and do not sell it,Get wisdom and discipline and understanding.

24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice,And ^ahe who begets a wise son will be glad in him.25 Let your ^afather and your mother be glad,And let her rejoice who gave birth to you.

26 ^aGive your heart to me, my son,And let your eyes ¹^bdelight in my ways.27 For a harlot is a ^adeep pitAnd ¹a ^bforeign woman is a narrow well.28 Surely she ^alies in wait as a robber,And adds to the treacherous among men.

29 Who has ^awoe? Who has sorrow?Who has contentions? Who has complaining?Who has wounds without cause?Who has redness of eyes?30 Those who ^alinger long over wine,Those who go to search out ^bmixed wine.31 Do not look on the wine when it glistens red,When it ¹sparkles in the cup,When it ^agoes down smoothly;32 At the end—like a serpent it ^abites,And like a ^bviper it stings.33 Your eyes will see strange thingsAnd your heart will ^aspeak perverse things.34 And you will be like one who lies down in the heart of the sea,Or like one who lies down on the top of a ¹mast.35 “They ^astruck me, but I did not become ¹ill;They beat me, but I did not know it.When shall I awake?I will ^bseek yet another.”