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Proverbs 23
1599 Geneva Bible
Proverbs 23
1599 Geneva Bible
23 1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, [a]consider diligently what is before thee,
2 [b]And put thy knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to the appetite.
3 Be not desirous of his dainty meats: [c]for it is a deceivable meat.
4 Travail not too much to be rich: but cease from thy [d]wisdom.
5 Wilt thou cast thine eyes upon it, which is nothing? for riches taketh her to her wings, as an Eagle, and flieth into the heaven.
6 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an [e]evil eye, neither desire his dainty meats.
7 For as though he thought it in his heart: so will he say unto thee, Eat and drink: but his heart is not with thee.
8 Thou shalt vomit thy [f]morsel that thou hast eaten, and thou shalt lose thy sweet words.
9 Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
10 (A)Remove not the ancient bounds, and enter not into the fields of the fatherless.
11 For he that redeemeth them, is mighty: he will (B)defend their cause against thee.
12 Apply thine heart to instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.
13 (C)Withhold not correction from the child: if thou smite him with the rod, he shall not die.
14 Thou shalt smite him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from [g]hell.
15 My son, if thine heart be wise, mine heart shall rejoice, and I also,
16 And my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak righteous things.
17 (D)Let not thine heart be envious against sinners: but let it be in the fear of the Lord continually.
18 For surely there is an end, [h]and thy hope shall not be cut off.
19 O thou my son, hear, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the [i]way.
20 Keep not company with [j]drunkards, nor with [k]gluttons.
21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall be poor, and the sleeper shall be clothed with rags.
22 Obey thy father that hath begotten thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
23 Buy [l]the truth, but sell it not: likewise wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
24 The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice, and he that begetteth a wise child, shall have joy of him.
25 Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.
26 My son, give me [m]thine heart, and let thine eyes delight in my ways.
27 (E)For a whore is as a deep ditch, and a strange woman is as a narrow pit.
28 (F)Also she lieth in wait as for a prey, [n]and she increaseth the transgressors among men.
29 To whom is woe? to whom is sorrow? to whom is strife? to whom is murmuring? to whom are wounds without cause? and to whom is the redness of the eyes?
30 Even to them that tarry long at the wine, to them that go, [o]and seek mixed wine.
31 Look not thou upon the wine, when it is red, and when it showeth his color in the cup, or goeth down pleasantly.
32 In the end thereof it will bite like a serpent, and hurt like a cockatrice.
33 Thine [p]eyes shall look upon strange women, and thine heart shall speak lewd things.
34 And thou shalt be as one that sleepeth in the midst of the [q]sea, and as he that sleepeth in the top of the mast.
35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, but I was not sick: they have beaten me, but I knew not, when I awoke: therefore will I [r]seek it yet still.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 23:1 Eat with sobriety.
- Proverbs 23:2 Bridle thine appetite, as it were by force and violence.
- Proverbs 23:3 For ofttimes the rich when they bid their inferiors to their tables, it is not for the love they bear them, but for their own secret purposes.
- Proverbs 23:4 Bestow not the gifts that God hath given thee, to get worldly riches.
- Proverbs 23:6 That is, covetous, as contrary a good eye is taken for liberal, as Prov. 22:9.
- Proverbs 23:8 He will not cease till he hath done thee some harm, and his flattering words shall come to no use.
- Proverbs 23:14 That is, from destruction.
- Proverbs 23:18 The prosperity of the wicked shall not continue.
- Proverbs 23:19 In the observation of God’s commandments.
- Proverbs 23:20 Hebrew, wine-bibbers.
- Proverbs 23:20 Hebrew, devourers of flesh.
- Proverbs 23:23 Spare no cost for truth’s sake, neither depart from it for any gain.
- Proverbs 23:26 Give thyself wholly to wisdom.
- Proverbs 23:28 She seduceth many and causeth them to offend God.
- Proverbs 23:30 Which by art make wine stronger and more pleasant.
- Proverbs 23:33 That is, drunkenness shall bring thee to whoredom.
- Proverbs 23:34 In such great danger shalt thou be.
- Proverbs 23:35 Though drunkenness make them more insensible than beasts, yet can they not refrain.
Proverbs 23
New International Version
Proverbs 23
New International Version
Saying 7
23 When you sit to dine with a ruler,
note well what[a] is before you,
2 and put a knife to your throat
if you are given to gluttony.
3 Do not crave his delicacies,(A)
for that food is deceptive.
Saying 8
4 Do not wear yourself out to get rich;
do not trust your own cleverness.
5 Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone,(B)
for they will surely sprout wings
and fly off to the sky like an eagle.(C)
Saying 9
6 Do not eat the food of a begrudging host,
do not crave his delicacies;(D)
7 for he is the kind of person
who is always thinking about the cost.[b]
“Eat and drink,” he says to you,
but his heart is not with you.
8 You will vomit up the little you have eaten
and will have wasted your compliments.
Saying 10
9 Do not speak to fools,
for they will scorn your prudent words.(E)
Saying 11
10 Do not move an ancient boundary stone(F)
or encroach on the fields of the fatherless,
11 for their Defender(G) is strong;(H)
he will take up their case against you.(I)
Saying 12
12 Apply your heart to instruction(J)
and your ears to words of knowledge.
Saying 13
13 Do not withhold discipline from a child;
if you punish them with the rod, they will not die.
14 Punish them with the rod
and save them from death.(K)
Saying 14
15 My son, if your heart is wise,
then my heart will be glad indeed;
16 my inmost being will rejoice
when your lips speak what is right.(L)
Saying 15
17 Do not let your heart envy(M) sinners,
but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord.
18 There is surely a future hope for you,
and your hope will not be cut off.(N)
Saying 16
19 Listen, my son,(O) and be wise,
and set your heart on the right path:
20 Do not join those who drink too much wine(P)
or gorge themselves on meat,
21 for drunkards and gluttons become poor,(Q)
and drowsiness clothes them in rags.
Saying 17
22 Listen to your father, who gave you life,
and do not despise your mother when she is old.(R)
23 Buy the truth and do not sell it—
wisdom, instruction and insight as well.(S)
24 The father of a righteous child has great joy;
a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him.(T)
25 May your father and mother rejoice;
may she who gave you birth be joyful!(U)
Saying 18
26 My son,(V) give me your heart
and let your eyes delight in my ways,(W)
27 for an adulterous woman is a deep pit,(X)
and a wayward wife is a narrow well.
28 Like a bandit she lies in wait(Y)
and multiplies the unfaithful among men.
Saying 19
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has strife? Who has complaints?
Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?
30 Those who linger over wine,(Z)
who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.
31 Do not gaze at wine when it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup,
when it goes down smoothly!
32 In the end it bites like a snake
and poisons like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange sights,
and your mind will imagine confusing things.
34 You will be like one sleeping on the high seas,
lying on top of the rigging.
35 “They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt!
They beat me, but I don’t feel it!
When will I wake up
so I can find another drink?”(AA)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 23:1 Or who
- Proverbs 23:7 Or for as he thinks within himself, / so he is; or for as he puts on a feast, / so he is
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV) 
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.