1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee: 2 And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. 3 Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.
4 Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. 5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.
6 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: 7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. 8 The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words. 9 Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
10 Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless: 11 For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.
12 Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge. 13 Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. 14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell. 15 My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine. 16 Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.
17 Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. 18 For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.
19 Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way. 20 Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: 21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. 22 Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old. 23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and 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 thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways. 27 For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit. 28 She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.
29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? 30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. 31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. 32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. 33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. 34 Yea, 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. 35 They 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.
1 When thou sittest to eate with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee, 2 And put the knife to thy throte, if thou be a man giuen to the appetite. 3 Be not desirous of his deintie meates: for it is a deceiuable meate. 4 Trauaile not too much to be rich: but cease from thy wisdome. 5 Wilt thou cast thine eyes vpon it, which is nothing? for riches taketh her to her wings, as an eagle, and flyeth into the heauen. 6 Eate thou not the bread of him that hath an euil eye, neither desire his deintie meates. 7 For as though he thought it in his heart, so will hee say vnto thee, Eate and drinke: but his heart is not with thee. 8 Thou shalt vomit thy morsels that thou hast eaten, and thou shalt lose thy sweete wordes. 9 Speake not in the eares of a foole: for hee will despise the wisdome of thy wordes. 10 Remooue not the ancient boundes, and enter not into the fieldes of the fatherlesse. 11 For he that redeemeth them, is mightie: he will defend their cause against thee. 12 Apply thine heart to instruction, and thine eares to the wordes of knowledge. 13 Withhold not correction from the childe: if thou smite him with the rodde, he shall not die. 14 Thou shalt smite him with the rodde, and shalt deliuer his soule from hell. 15 My sonne, if thine heart be wise, mine heart shall reioyce, and I also. 16 And my reynes shall reioyce, when thy lips speake righteous things. 17 Let not thine heart bee enuious against sinners: but let it bee in the feare of the Lord continually. 18 For surely there is an ende, and thy hope shall not be cut off. 19 O thou my sonne, heare, and bee wise, and guide thine heart in the way. 20 Keepe not company with drunkards, nor with gluttons. 21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall bee poore, and the sleeper shalbe clothed with ragges. 22 Obey thy father that hath begotten thee, and despise not thy mother when she is olde. 23 Bye the trueth, but sell it not: likewise wisdome, and instruction, and vnderstanding. 24 The father of the righteous shall greatly reioyce, and hee that begetteth a wise childe, shall haue ioy of him. 25 Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall reioyce. 26 My sonne, giue mee thine heart, and let thine eyes delite in my wayes. 27 For a whore is as a deepe ditche, and a strange woman is as a narrowe pitte. 28 Also she lyeth in wait as for a praye, and she increaseth the transgressers among men. 29 To whome is woe? to whome is sorowe? to whom is strife? to whom is murmuring? to whom are woundes without cause? and to whome is the rednesse of the eyes? 30 Euen to them that tarie long at the wine, to them that goe, and seeke mixt wine. 31 Looke not thou vpon the wine, when it is red, and when it sheweth his colour in the cup, or goeth downe pleasantly. 32 In the ende thereof it will bite like a serpent, and hurt like a cockatrise. 33 Thine eyes shall looke vpon strange women, and thine heart shall speake lewde things. 34 And thou shalt bee as one that sleepeth in the middes of the sea, and as hee that sleepeth in the toppe of the maste. 35 They haue stricken mee, shalt thou say, but I was not sicke: they haue beaten mee, but I knew not, when I awoke: therefore will I seeke it yet still.