King James Bible

New American Standard Bible 1995

1When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee:

1When you sit down to dine with a ruler, Consider carefully what is before you,

2And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.

2And put a knife to your throat If you are a man of great appetite.

3Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.

3Do not desire his delicacies, For it is deceptive food.

4Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.

4Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, Cease from your consideration of it.

5Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

5When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.

6Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:

6Do not eat the bread of a selfish man, Or desire his delicacies;

7For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

7For as he thinks within himself, so he is. He says to you, "Eat and drink!" But his heart is not with you.

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

8You will vomit up the morsel you have eaten, And waste your compliments.

9Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

9Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, For he will despise the wisdom of your words.

10Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:

10Do not move the ancient boundary Or go into the fields of the fatherless,

11For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.

11For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their case against you.

12Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.

12Apply your heart to discipline And your ears to words of knowledge.

13Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.

13Do not hold back discipline from the child, Although you strike him with the rod, he will not die.

14Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.

14You shall strike him with the rod And rescue his soul from Sheol.

15My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.

15My son, if your heart is wise, My own heart also will be glad;

16Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.

16And my inmost being will rejoice When your lips speak what is right.

17Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.

17Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the LORD always.

18For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

18Surely there is a future, And your hope will not be cut off.

19Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.

19Listen, my son, and be wise, And direct your heart in the way.

20Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:

20Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat;

21For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

21For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe one with rags.

22Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.

22Listen to your father who begot you, And do not despise your mother when she is old.

23Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

23Buy truth, and do not sell it, Get wisdom and instruction and understanding.

24The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.

24The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who sires a wise son will be glad in him.

25Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.

25Let your father and your mother be glad, And let her rejoice who gave birth to you.

26My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.

26Give me your heart, my son, And let your eyes delight in my ways.

27For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.

27For a harlot is a deep pit And an adulterous woman is a narrow well.

28She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.

28Surely she lurks as a robber, And increases the faithless among men.

29Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?

29Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?

30They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.

30Those who linger long over wine, Those who go to taste mixed wine.

31Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

31Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it goes down smoothly;

32At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.

32At the last it bites like a serpent And stings like a viper.

33Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.

33Your eyes will see strange things And your mind will utter perverse things.

34Yea, 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.

34And you will be like one who lies down in the middle of the sea, Or like one who lies down on the top of a mast.

35They 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.

35"They struck me, but I did not become ill; They beat me, but I did not know it. When shall I awake? I will seek another drink."

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org