Proverbs 23

NASB

Proverbs 23

On Life and Conduct

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When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
Consider carefully ^(a)what is before you,

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And put a knife to your throat
If you are a ^(A)man of great appetite.

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Do not ^(B)desire his delicacies,
For it is deceptive food.

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^(C)Do not weary yourself to gain wealth,
^(D)Cease from your ^(b)consideration of it.

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

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^(F)Do not eat the bread of ^(d)a ^(G)selfish man,
Or desire his delicacies;

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For as he ^(e)thinks within himself, so he is.
He says to you, “Eat and drink!”
But ^(H)his heart is not with you.

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You will ^(I)vomit up ^(f)the morsel you have eaten,
And waste your ^(g)compliments.

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^(J)Do not speak in the ^(h)hearing of a fool,
For he will ^(K)despise the wisdom of your words.

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Do not move the ancient boundary
Or ^(L)go into the fields of the fatherless,

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For their ^(M)Redeemer is strong;
^(N)He will plead their case against you.

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

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^(O)Do not hold back discipline from the child,
Although you ⁽ⁱ⁾strike him with the rod, he will not die.

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You shall ^(j)strike him with the rod
And ^(P)rescue his soul from Sheol.

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My son, if your heart is ^(Q)wise,
My own heart also will be glad;

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And my ^(k)inmost being will rejoice
When your lips speak ^(R)what is right.

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^(S)Do not let your heart envy sinners,
But live in the ^(l)^(T)fear of the Lord ^(m)always.

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Surely there is a ⁽ⁿ⁾^(U)future,
And your ^(V)hope will not be cut off.

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Listen, my son, and ^(W)be wise,
And ^(X)direct your heart in the way.

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Do not be with ^(Y)heavy drinkers of wine,
Or with ^(Z)gluttonous eaters of meat;

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For the ^(AA)heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty,
And ^(AB)drowsiness will clothe one with rags.

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^(AC)Listen to your father who begot you,
And ^(AD)do not despise your mother when she is old.

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^(AE)Buy truth, and do not sell it,
Get wisdom and instruction and understanding.

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

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Let your ^(AG)father and your mother be glad,
And let her rejoice who gave birth to you.

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^(AH)Give me your heart, my son,
And let your eyes ^(o)^(AI)delight in my ways.

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For a harlot is a ^(AJ)deep pit
And an ^(p)^(AK)adulterous woman is a narrow well.

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Surely she ^(AL)lurks as a robber,
And increases the ^(q)faithless among men.

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Who has ^(AM)woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has contentions? Who has complaining?
Who has wounds without cause?
Who has redness of eyes?

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Those who ^(AN)linger long over wine,
Those who go to ^(r)taste ^(AO)mixed wine.

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Do not look on the wine when it is red,
When it ^(s)sparkles in the cup,
When it ^(AP)goes down smoothly;

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At the last it ^(AQ)bites like a serpent
And stings like a ^(AR)viper.

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Your eyes will see strange things
And your ^(t)mind will ^(AS)utter perverse things.

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And you will be like one who lies down in the ^(u)middle of the sea,
Or like one who lies down on the top of a ^(v)mast.

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“They ^(AT)struck me, but I did not become ^(w)ill;
They beat me, but I did not know it.
When shall I awake?
I will ^(AU)seek ^(x)another drink.”

Footnotes:

a. Proverbs 23:1: ['Or ', who]

b. Proverbs 23:4: ['Or ', understanding]

c. Proverbs 23:5: ['Lit ', Will your eyes fly upon it and it is not, '?']

d. Proverbs 23:6: ['Lit ', an evil eye]

e. Proverbs 23:7: ['Lit ', reckons in his soul]

f. Proverbs 23:8: ['Lit ', your]

g. Proverbs 23:8: ['Lit ', pleasant words]

h. Proverbs 23:9: ['Lit ', ears]

i. Proverbs 23:13: ['Lit ', smite]

j. Proverbs 23:14: ['Lit ', smite]

k. Proverbs 23:16: ['Lit ', kidneys]

l. Proverbs 23:17: ['Or ', reverence]

m. Proverbs 23:17: ['Lit ', all the day]

n. Proverbs 23:18: ['Lit ', latter end]

o. Proverbs 23:26: ['Another reading is ', observe]

p. Proverbs 23:27: ['Lit ', strange]

q. Proverbs 23:28: ['Lit ', treacherous]

r. Proverbs 23:30: ['Or ', search out]

s. Proverbs 23:31: ['Lit ', gives its eye]

t. Proverbs 23:33: ['Lit ', heart]

u. Proverbs 23:34: ['Lit ', heart]

v. Proverbs 23:34: ['Or ', lookout]

w. Proverbs 23:35: ['I.e. from the effect of wounds']

x. Proverbs 23:35: ['Lit ', it yet again]

Cross references:

A. Proverbs 23:2: Proverbs 23:20

B. Proverbs 23:3: Psalm 141:4; Proverbs 23:6; Daniel 1:5; Daniel 1:8; Daniel 1:13; Daniel 1:15; Daniel 1:16

C. Proverbs 23:4: Proverbs 15:27; Proverbs 28:20; Matthew 6:19; 1 Timothy 6:9; Hebrews 13:5

D. Proverbs 23:4: Proverbs 3:5; Proverbs 3:7

E. Proverbs 23:5: Proverbs 27:24; 1 Timothy 6:17

F. Proverbs 23:6: Psalm 141:4

G. Proverbs 23:6: Deuteronomy 15:9; Proverbs 28:22

H. Proverbs 23:7: Proverbs 26:24; Proverbs 26:25

I. Proverbs 23:8: Proverbs 25:16

J. Proverbs 23:9: Matthew 7:6

K. Proverbs 23:9: Proverbs 1:7

L. Proverbs 23:10: Jeremiah 22:3; Zechariah 7:10

M. Proverbs 23:11: Job 19:25; Jeremiah 50:34

N. Proverbs 23:11: Proverbs 22:23

O. Proverbs 23:13: Proverbs 13:24; Proverbs 19:18

P. Proverbs 23:14: 1 Corinthians 5:5

R. Proverbs 23:16: Proverbs 8:6

S. Proverbs 23:17: Psalm 37:1; Proverbs 24:1; Proverbs 24:19

T. Proverbs 23:17: Proverbs 28:14

U. Proverbs 23:18: Psalm 19:11; Psalm 58:11; Proverbs 24:14

V. Proverbs 23:18: Psalm 9:18

W. Proverbs 23:19: Proverbs 6:6

X. Proverbs 23:19: Proverbs 4:23; Proverbs 9:6

Y. Proverbs 23:20: Proverbs 20:1; Proverbs 23:29; Proverbs 23:30; Isaiah 5:22; Matthew 24:49; Luke 21:34; Romans 13:13; Ephesians 5:18

Z. Proverbs 23:20: Deuteronomy 21:20; Proverbs 28:7

AA. Proverbs 23:21: Proverbs 21:17

AB. Proverbs 23:21: Proverbs 6:10; Proverbs 6:11

AC. Proverbs 23:22: Proverbs 1:8; Ephesians 6:1

AD. Proverbs 23:22: Proverbs 15:20; Proverbs 30:17

AE. Proverbs 23:23: Proverbs 4:7; Proverbs 18:15; Matthew 13:44

AF. Proverbs 23:24: Proverbs 10:1; Proverbs 15:20; Proverbs 29:3

AG. Proverbs 23:25: Proverbs 27:11

AH. Proverbs 23:26: Proverbs 3:1; Proverbs 4:4

AI. Proverbs 23:26: Psalm 1:2; Psalm 119:24

AJ. Proverbs 23:27: Proverbs 22:14

AK. Proverbs 23:27: Proverbs 5:20

AL. Proverbs 23:28: Proverbs 6:26; Proverbs 7:12

AM. Proverbs 23:29: Isaiah 5:11; Isaiah 5:22

AN. Proverbs 23:30: 1 Samuel 25:36; Proverbs 20:1; Isaiah 5:11; Isaiah 28:7; Ephesians 5:18

AO. Proverbs 23:30: Psalm 75:8

AP. Proverbs 23:31: Song of Solomon 7:9

AQ. Proverbs 23:32: Job 20:16; Proverbs 20:1; Ephesians 5:18

AR. Proverbs 23:32: Psalm 91:13; Isaiah 11:8

AS. Proverbs 23:33: Proverbs 2:12

AT. Proverbs 23:35: Proverbs 27:22; Jeremiah 5:3

AU. Proverbs 23:35: Proverbs 26:11; Isaiah 56:12