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–6–

23 When you are invited
to eat with a king,
    use your best manners.
Don't go and stuff yourself!
That would be just the same
    as cutting your throat.
Don't be greedy for all
of that fancy food!
    It may not be so tasty.

–7–

Give up trying so hard
    to get rich.
Your money flies away
    before you know it,
just like an eagle
    suddenly taking off.

–8–

Don't accept an invitation
to eat a selfish person's food,
    no matter how good it is.
People like that take note
    of how much you eat.[a]
They say, “Take all you want!”
    But they don't mean it.
Each bite will come back up,
and all your kind words
    will be wasted.

–9–

Don't talk to fools—
    they will make fun of you.

–10–

10 Don't move a boundary marker[b]
or take the land
    that belongs to orphans.
11 God All-Powerful is there
    to defend them against you.

–11–

12 Listen to instruction
    and do your best to learn.

–12–

13 Don't fail to correct
    your children.
You won't kill them
    by being firm,
14 and it may even
    save their lives.

–13–

15 My children,
if you show good sense,
    I will be happy,
16 and if you are truthful,
    I will really be glad.

–14–

17 Don't be jealous of sinners,
    but always honor the Lord.
18 Then you will truly have hope
    for the future.

–15–

19 Listen to me, my children!
Be wise and have enough sense
    to follow the right path.
20 Don't be a heavy drinker
    or stuff yourself with food.
21 It will make you feel drowsy,
and you will end up poor
    with only rags to wear.

–16–

22 Pay attention to your father,
and don't neglect your mother
    when she grows old.
23 Invest in truth and wisdom,
discipline and good sense,
    and don't part with them.
24 Make your father truly happy
by living right and showing
    sound judgment.
25 Make your parents proud,
    especially your mother.

–17–

26 My son, pay close attention,
and gladly follow
    my example.
27 Bad women and unfaithful wives
    are like a deep pit—
28 they are waiting to attack you
like a gang of robbers
    with victim after victim.

–18–

29 Who is always in trouble?
    Who argues and fights?
Who has cuts and bruises?
    Whose eyes are red?
30 Everyone who stays up late,
    having just one more drink.
31 Don't even look
at that colorful stuff
    bubbling up in the glass!
It goes down so easily,
32 but later it bites
    like a poisonous snake.
33 You will see weird things,
and your mind
    will play tricks on you.
34 You will feel tossed about
like someone trying to sleep
    on a ship in a storm.
35 You will be bruised all over,
without even remembering
    how it all happened.
And you will lie awake asking,
“When will morning come,
    so I can drink some more?”

Footnotes

  1. 23.7 People … eat: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  2. 23.10 marker: See the note at 22.28.

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