Proverbs 23

Proverbs · Chapter 23

Proverbs 23:31

1When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee:2And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.3Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.4Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.5Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.6Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:7For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.8The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.9Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.10Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:11For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.12Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.13Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.14Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.15My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.16Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.17Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.18For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.19Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.20Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:21For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.22Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.23Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.24The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.25Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.26My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.27For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.28She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.29Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?30They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.31Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.32At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.33Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.34Yea, 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.35They 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.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
31Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.Do not gaze at wine while it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, When it sparkleth in the cup, When it goeth down smoothly:

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
may notאַל־'al-H0408
not

אַל (al) 1) not, no, nor, neither, nothing (as wish or preference) 1a) do not, let not (with a verb) 1b) let there not be (with a verb understood) 1c) not, no (with substantive) 1d) nothing (as substantive) Aramaic equivalent: al (אַל "not" H0409)

you seeתֵּ֥רֶאTE-re'H7200G
to see: see

רָאָה (ra.ah) : see/show 1) to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to see 1a2) to see, perceive 1a3) to see, have vision 1a4) to look at, see, regard, look after, see after, learn about, observe, watch, look upon, look out, find out 1a5) to see, observe, consider, look at, give attention to, discern, distinguish 1a6) to look at, gaze at 1a7) to provide, choose 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to appear, present oneself 1b2) to be seen 1b3) to be visible 1c) (Pual) to be seen 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to cause to see, show 1d2) to cause to look intently at, behold, cause to gaze at 1e) (Hophal) …

wineיַיִן֮ya-YINH3196
wine

יַ֫יִן (ya.yin) wine

forכִּ֪יkiH3588A
for

כִּי (ki) 1) that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since 1a) that 1a1) yea, indeed 1b) when (of time) 1b1) when, if, though (with a concessive force) 1c) because, since (causal connection) 1d) but (after negative) 1e) that if, for if, indeed if, for though, but if 1f) but rather, but 1g) except that 1h) only, nevertheless 1i) surely 1j) that is 1k) but if 1l) for though 1m) forasmuch as, for therefore

it will be redיִתְאַ֫דָּ֥םyit-'A-DAMH0119
to redden

אָדֹם (a.dam) 1) to be red, red 1a) (Qal) ruddy (of Nazarites) 1b) (Pual) 1b1) to be rubbed red 1b2) dyed red 1b3) reddened 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to cause to show red 1c2) to glare 1c3) to emit (show) redness 1d) (Hithpael) 1d1) to redden 1d2) to grow red 1d3) to look red

ifכִּֽי־ki-H3588A
for

כִּי (ki) 1) that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since 1a) that 1a1) yea, indeed 1b) when (of time) 1b1) when, if, though (with a concessive force) 1c) because, since (causal connection) 1d) but (after negative) 1e) that if, for if, indeed if, for though, but if 1f) but rather, but 1g) except that 1h) only, nevertheless 1i) surely 1j) that is 1k) but if 1l) for though 1m) forasmuch as, for therefore

it will giveיִתֵּ֣ןyi-TENH5414P
to give: give

נָתַן (na.tan) : give/deliver/send/produce 1) to give, put, set 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to give, bestow, grant, permit, ascribe, employ, devote, consecrate, dedicate, pay wages, sell, exchange, lend, commit, entrust, give over, deliver up, yield produce, occasion, produce, requite to, report, mention, utter, stretch out, extend 1a2) to put, set, put on, put upon, set, appoint, assign, designate 1a3) to make, constitute 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be given, be bestowed, be provided, be entrusted to, be granted to, be permitted, be issued, be published, be uttered, be assigned 1b2) to be set, be put, be made, be inflicted …

in the cupבַּכּ֣וֹסba-kisH3563A
cup

כּוֹס (kos) cup

eye itsעֵינ֑וֹei-NOH5869A
eye

עַ֫יִן (a.yin) : eye 1) eye 1a) eye 1a1) of physical eye 1a2) as showing mental qualities 1a3) of mental and spiritual faculties (fig.)

it will goיִ֝תְהַלֵּ֗ךְyit-ha-LEKHH1980G
to go: went

הָלַךְ (ha.lakh) : went/go[away] 1) to go, walk, come 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to go, walk, come, depart, proceed, move, go away 1a2) to die, live, manner of life (fig.) 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to walk 1b2) to walk (fig.) 1c) (Hithpael) 1c1) to traverse 1c2) to walk about 1d) (Niphal) to lead, bring, lead away, carry, cause to walk

with smoothnessesבְּמֵישָׁרִֽים׃be-mei-sha-RIMH4339
uprightness

מֵישָׁר (me.shar) 1) evenness, uprightness, straightness, equity 1a) evenness, level, smoothness 1b) uprightness, equity 1c) rightly (as adv)

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.