Proverbs 23-25

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

2and put a knife to your throat if you possess a great appetite.

3Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive.

4Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough to restrain yourself.

5When you glance at wealth, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky.

6Do not eat the bread of a stingy man, and do not crave his delicacies;

7for he is keeping track, inwardly counting the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

8You will vomit up what little you have eaten and waste your pleasant words.

9Do not speak to a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.

10Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless,

11for their Redeemer is strong; He will take up their case against you.

12Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.

13Do not withhold discipline from a child; although you strike him with a rod, he will not die.

14Strike him with a rod, and you will deliver his soul from Sheol.

15My son, if your heart is wise, my own heart will indeed rejoice.

16My inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.

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

18For surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.

19Listen, my son, and be wise, and guide your heart on the right course.

20Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat.

21For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe them in rags.

22Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.

23Invest in truth and never sell it— in wisdom and instruction and understanding.

24The father of a righteous man will greatly rejoice, and he who fathers a wise son will delight in him.

25May your father and mother be glad, and may she who gave you birth rejoice!

26My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes delight in my ways.

27For a prostitute is a deep pit, and an adulteress is a narrow well.

28Like a robber she lies in wait and multiplies the faithless among men.

29Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has needless wounds? Who has bloodshot eyes?

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

31Do not gaze at wine while it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.

32In the end it bites like a snake and stings like a viper.

33Your eyes will see strange things, and your mind will utter perversities.

34You will be like one sleeping on the high seas or lying on the top of a mast:

35“They struck me, but I feel no pain! They beat me, but I did not know it! When can I wake up to search for another drink?”

1Do not envy wicked men or desire their company;

2for their hearts devise violence, and their lips declare trouble.

3By wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established;

4through knowledge its rooms are filled with every precious and beautiful treasure.

5A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge enhances his strength.

6Only with sound guidance should you wage war, and victory lies in a multitude of counselors.

7Wisdom is too high for a fool; he does not open his mouth in the meeting place.

8He who plots evil will be called a schemer.

9A foolish scheme is sin, and a mocker is detestable to men.

10If you faint in the day of distress, how small is your strength!

11Rescue those being led away to death, and restrain those stumbling toward the slaughter.

12If you say, “Behold, we did not know about this,” does not He who weighs hearts consider it? Does not the One who guards your life know? Will He not repay a man according to his deeds?

13Eat honey, my son, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to your taste.

14Know therefore that wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, there is a future for you, and your hope will never be cut off.

15Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, near the dwelling of the righteous; do not destroy his resting place.

16For though a righteous man may fall seven times, he still gets up; but the wicked stumble in bad times.

17Do not gloat when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart rejoice when he stumbles,

18or the LORD will see and disapprove, and turn His wrath away from him.

19Do not fret over evildoers, and do not be envious of the wicked.

20For the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.

21My son, fear the LORD and the king, and do not associate with the rebellious.

22For they will bring sudden destruction. Who knows what ruin they can bring?

23These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.

24Whoever tells the guilty, “You are innocent”— peoples will curse him, and nations will denounce him;

25but it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them.

26An honest answer given is like a kiss on the lips.

27Complete your outdoor work and prepare your field; after that, you may build your house.

28Do not testify against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips.

29Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will repay the man according to his work.”

30I went past the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment.

31Thorns had grown up everywhere, thistles had covered the ground, and the stone wall was broken down.

32I observed and took it to heart; I looked and received instruction:

33A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,

34and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.

1These are additional proverbs of Solomon, which were copied by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah:

2It is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of kings to search it out.

3As the heavens are high and the earth is deep, so the hearts of kings cannot be searched.

4Remove the dross from the silver, and a vessel for a silversmith will come forth.

5Remove the wicked from the king’s presence, and his throne will be established in righteousness.

6Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king, and do not stand in the place of great men;

7for it is better to be told, “Come up here!” than to be demoted in the presence of the prince. Even what you have seen with your own eyes,

8do not bring hastily to court. Otherwise, what will you do in the end when your neighbor puts you to shame?

9Argue your case with your neighbor without betraying another’s confidence,

10lest he who hears you bring shame upon you, and your infamy never go away.

11A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

12Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear.

13Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the soul of his masters.

14Like clouds and wind without rain is the man who boasts of gifts never given.

15Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.

16If you find honey, eat just what you need, lest you have too much and vomit it up.

17Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house, lest he grow weary and hate you.

18Like a club or sword or sharp arrow is a man who bears false witness against his neighbor.

19Like a broken tooth or a foot out of joint is confidence in a faithless man in time of trouble.

20Like one who removes a garment on a cold day or vinegar poured on a wound is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

21If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.

22For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you.

23As the north wind brings forth rain, so a backbiting tongue brings angry looks.

24Better to live on a corner of the roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

25Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land.

26Like a muddied spring or a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked.

27It is not good to eat too much honey or to search out one’s own glory.

28Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who does not control his temper.