Proverbs 23:1-9 in English

¹ When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, Consider diligently him that 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; Seeing they are deceitful food.

⁴ Weary not thyself 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, Like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.

⁶ Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, Neither desire thou his dainties:

⁷ For as he thinketh within himself, 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 hearing of a fool; For he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

¹ If thou sit to sup at the table of a prince, consider attentively the things set before thee:

² and apply thine hand, knowing that it behoves thee to prepare such meats: but if thou art very insatiable,

³ desire not his provisions; for these belong to a false life.

⁴ If thou art poor, measure not thyself with a rich man; but refrain thyself in thy wisdom.

⁵ If thou shouldest fix thine eye upon him, he will disappear; for wings like an eagle's are prepared for him, and he returns to the house of his master.

⁶ Sup not with an envious man, neither desire thou his meats:

⁷ so he eats and drinks as if any one should swallow a hair, and do not bring him in to thyself, nor eat thy morsel with him:

⁸ for he will vomit it up, and spoil thy fair words.

⁹ Say nothing in the ears of a fool, lest at any time he sneer at thy wise words.

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.

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.

¹ If you sit to sup at the table of a prince, consider attentively the things set before you:

² and apply your hand, knowing that it behoves you to prepare such meats: but if you are very insatiable,

³ desire not his provisions; for these belong to a false life.

⁴ If you are poor, measure not yourself with a rich man; but refrain yourself in your wisdom.

⁵ If you should fix your eye upon him, he will disappear; for wings like an eagle's are prepared for him, and he returns to the house of his master.

⁶ Sup not with an envious man, neither desire you his meats:

⁷ so he eats and drinks as if any one should swallow a hair, and do not bring him in to yourself, nor eat your morsel with him:

⁸ for he will vomit it up, and spoil your fair words.

⁹ Say nothing in the ears of a fool, lest at any time he sneer at your wise words.

¹ When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently him that 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; seeing they are deceitful meat.

⁴ Weary not thyself 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, like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.

⁶ Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainties:

⁷ For as he reckoneth within himself, 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 hearing of a fool; for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

¹ When you sit down to eat a meal with a ◄government official/king►, think carefully about what (OR, who) is in front of you.

² Even if you ◄have a big appetite/want to eat a lot of food►, restrain yourself.

³ Do not want to eat a lot of his fine food, because he may be trying to trick you.

⁴ Do not cause yourself to become very tired by working very hard to become rich; be wise and stop doing that,

⁵ because as soon as you look MTY at all the money that you have acquired, it will be gone; it will disappear as if it suddenly grew wings SIM and flew up into the sky like an eagle.

⁶ If someone who is stingy invites you to a meal, do not eat a lot of his fine food,

⁷ because he will be thinking about how much the food cost that you are eating. He will say to you, “Eat and drink all that you want!”, but that is not what he will really be thinking.

⁸ When you realize what he is really thinking, it will cause you to want to vomit what you have eaten; and your kind words telling him that you are enjoying the meal will be wasted.

⁹ ◄Do not waste time by/It is useless► talking to foolish people; they will only despise the wise things that you say.

¹ If you sit to sup at the table of a prince, consider attentively the things set before you:

² and apply your hand, knowing that it behoves you to prepare such meats: but if you are very insatiable,

³ desire not his provisions; for these belong to a false life.

⁴ If you are poor, measure not yourself with a rich man; but refrain yourself in your wisdom.

⁵ If you should fix your eye upon him, he will disappear; for wings like an eagle's are prepared for him, and he returns to the house of his master.

⁶ Sup not with an envious man, neither desire you his meats:

⁷ so he eats and drinks as if any one should swallow a hair, and do not bring him in to yourself, nor eat your morsel with him:

⁸ for he will vomit it up, and spoil your fair words.

⁹ Say nothing in the ears of a fool, lest at any time he sneer at your wise words.

¹ When you sit to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before you;

² put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite.

³ Don’t be desirous of his dainties, since they are deceitful food.

⁴ Don’t weary yourself to be rich. In your wisdom, show restraint.

⁵ Why do you set your eyes on that which is not? For it certainly sprouts wings like an eagle and flies in the sky.

⁶ Don’t eat the food of him who has a stingy eye, and don’t crave his delicacies,

⁷ for as he thinks about the cost, so he is. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

⁸ You will vomit up the morsel which you have eaten and waste your pleasant words.

⁹ Don’t speak in the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.

¹ When you sit to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before you;

² put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite.

³ Don’t be desirous of his dainties, since they are deceitful food.

⁴ Don’t weary yourself to be rich. In your wisdom, show restraint.

⁵ Why do you set your eyes on that which is not? For it certainly sprouts wings like an eagle and flies in the sky.

⁶ Don’t eat the food of him who has a stingy eye, and don’t crave his delicacies,

⁷ for as he thinks about the cost, so he is. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

⁸ You will vomit up the morsel which you have eaten and waste your pleasant words.

⁹ Don’t speak in the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.

¹ When you sit to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before you;

² put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite.

³ Don’t be desirous of his dainties, since they are deceitful food.

⁴ Don’t weary yourself to be rich. In your wisdom, show restraint.

⁵ Why do you set your eyes on that which is not? For it certainly sprouts wings like an eagle and flies in the sky.

⁶ Don’t eat the food of him who has a stingy eye, and don’t crave his delicacies,

⁷ for as he thinks about the cost, so he is. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

⁸ You will vomit up the morsel which you have eaten and waste your pleasant words.

⁹ Don’t speak in the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.

¹ When you take your seat at the feast with a ruler, give thought with care to what is before you;

² And put a knife to your throat, if you have a strong desire for food.

³ Have no desire for his delicate food, for it is the bread of deceit.

⁴ Take no care to get wealth; let there be an end to your desire for money.

⁵ Are your eyes lifted up to it? it is gone: for wealth takes to itself wings, like an eagle in flight up to heaven.

⁶ Do not take the food of him who has an evil eye, or have any desire for his delicate meat:

⁷ For as the thoughts of his heart are, so is he: Take food and drink, he says to you; but his heart is not with you.

⁸ The food which you have taken will come up again, and your pleasing words will be wasted.

⁹ Say nothing in the hearing of a foolish man, for he will put no value on the wisdom of your words.

¹ When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider well who 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 food.

⁴ Weary not thyself to become rich; cease from thine own intelligence:

⁵ wilt thou set thine eyes upon it, it is gone; for indeed it maketh itself wings and it flieth away as an eagle towards the heavens.

⁶ Eat thou not the food of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainties.

⁷ For as he thinketh in his soul, so is he. Eat and drink! will he say unto thee; but his heart is not with thee.

⁸ Thy morsel which thou hast eaten must thou vomit up, and thou wilt have wasted thy sweet words.

⁹ Speak not in the ears of a foolish man, for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

¹ When thou shalt sit to eat with a prince, consider diligently what is set before thy face.

² And put a knife to thy throat, if it be so that thou have thy soul in thy own power.

³ Be not desirous of his meats, in which is the bread of deceit.

⁴ Labour not to be rich: but set bounds to thy prudence.

⁵ Lift not up thy eyes to riches which thou canst not have: because they shall make themselves wings like those of an eagle, and shall fly towards heaven.

⁶ Eat not with an envious man, and desire not his meats:

⁷ Because like a soothsayer, and diviner, he thinketh that which he knoweth not. Eat and drink, will he say to thee: and his mind is not with thee.

⁸ The meats which thou hadst eaten, thou shalt vomit up: and shalt loose thy beautiful words.

⁹ Speak not in the ears of fools: because they will despise the instruction of thy speech.

¹ When you sit down for a meal with a ruler, look carefully at what is placed before you,

² and cut down if you have a big appetite.

³ Don't be greedy for his fancy food, for it's offered with deceptive motives.

⁴ Don't wear yourself out trying to get rich—be wise enough not to bother!

⁵ It disappears in the blink of an eye, suddenly growing wings and flying off into the sky like an eagle.

⁶ Don't accept meal invitations from miserly people; don't be greedy for their fancy food,

⁷ for what they're thinking inside is what they really are. They say, “Come on, eat and drink!”—but in their minds they don't really care about you.

⁸ You'll vomit up the little pieces you've eaten, and your kind words of appreciation will be wasted.

⁹ Don't talk to stupid people because they'll ridicule your wise words.

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.

¹ When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider well him that 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; seeing they are deceitful food.

⁴ Weary not thyself to be rich; cease from thine own wisdom.

⁵ Wilt thou set thine eyes upon it? it is gone; for riches certainly make themselves wings, like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.

⁶ Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainties;

⁷ For as one that hath reckoned within himself, 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.

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.

¹ When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee:

² For thou puttest a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man of a craving desire.

³ Do not long for his savory meats; they are deceitful food.

⁴ Fatigue thyself not to become rich; because thou hast understanding, forbear.

⁵ When thou lettest merely thy eyes fly over it, it is no more: for it will ever make itself wings: like an eagle will it fly toward heaven.

⁶ Eat not the bread of a man with an evil eye, and do not long for his savory meats;

⁷ For as though there were a division in his soul, so doth he act: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

⁸ Thy morsel which thou hast eaten must thou spit out, and thou hast wasted thy pleasant words.

⁹ Speak not before the ears of a fool; for he will despise the intelligence of thy words.

¹ If thou sit to sup at the table of a prince, Consider attentively the things set before thee:

² And apply thy hand, Knowing that it behooves thee to prepare such meats: But if thou art very insatiable,

³ desire not his provisions; For these belong to a false life.

⁴ If thou art poor, measure not thyself with a rich man; But refrain thyself in thy wisdom.

⁵ If thou shouldest fix thine eye upon him, he will disappear; For wings like an eagle’s are prepared for him, And he returns to the house of his master.

⁶ Sup not with an envious man, Neither desire thou his meats:

⁷ So he eats and drinks As if anyone should swallow a hair, And do not bring him in to thyself, nor eat thy morsel with him:

⁸ For he will vomit it up, and spoil thy fair words.

⁹ Say nothing in the ears of a fool, Lest at any time he sneer at thy wise words.

¹ When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, Consider well what is before thee;

² For thou wilt put a knife to thy throat, If thou art a man given to appetite!

³ Long not for his dainties. For they are deceitful meat.

⁴ Toil not to become rich; Cease from this, thy wisdom.

⁵ Wilt thou let thine eyes fly toward them? They are gone! For riches truly make to themselves wings; They fly away like the eagle toward heaven.

⁶ Eat not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, And long not for his dainties;

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, thou shalt vomit up; And thou wilt have thrown away thy sweet words.

⁹ Speak not in the ears of a fool; For he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

¹ When you sit to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before you;

² put a knife to your throat, if you are a man given to appetite.

³ Don’t be desirous of his dainties, since they are deceitful food.

⁴ Don’t weary yourself to be rich. In your wisdom, show restraint.

⁵ Why do you set your eyes on that which is not? For it certainly sprouts wings like an eagle and flies in the sky.

⁶ Don’t eat the food of him who has a stingy eye, and don’t crave his delicacies:

⁷ for as he thinks about the cost, so he is. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

⁸ The morsel which you have eaten you shall vomit up, and lose your good words.

⁹ Don’t speak in the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.

¹ When you sit to eat with a ruler, observe carefully what is before you,

² and put a knife to your throat if you are a person who likes to eat a lot of food.

³ Do not crave his delicacies, for it is the food of lies.

⁴ Do not work too hard to gain wealth; be wise enough to know when to stop.

⁵ Will you let your eyes light upon it? It will be gone, for it will surely take up wings like an eagle and fly off to the sky.

⁶ Do not eat the food of one with an evil eye— and do not crave his delicacies,

⁷ for he is the kind of man who counts the price of the food. “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 you will have wasted your compliments.

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

¹ When you sit to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before you;

² put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite.

³ Don’t be desirous of his dainties, since they are deceitful food.

⁴ Don’t weary yourself to be rich. In your wisdom, show restraint.

⁵ Why do you set your eyes on that which is not? For it certainly sprouts wings like an eagle and flies in the sky.

⁶ Don’t eat the food of him who has a stingy eye, and don’t crave his delicacies,

⁷ for as he thinks about the cost, so he is. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

⁸ You will vomit up the morsel which you have eaten and waste your pleasant words.

⁹ Don’t speak in the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.

¹ When you sit to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before you;

² put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite.

³ Don’t be desirous of his dainties, since they are deceitful food.

⁴ Don’t weary yourself to be rich. In your wisdom, show restraint.

⁵ Why do you set your eyes on that which is not? For it certainly sprouts wings like an eagle and flies in the sky.

⁶ Don’t eat the food of him who has a stingy eye, and don’t crave his delicacies,

⁷ for as he thinks about the cost, so he is. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

⁸ You will vomit up the morsel which you have eaten and waste your pleasant words.

⁹ Don’t speak in the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.

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 art a man given to appetite.

³ Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful food.

⁴ Labor not to be rich: cease from thy own wisdom.

⁵ Wilt thou set thy eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make to themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle towards heaven.

⁶ Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainties:

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.

¹ When you sit to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before you;

² put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite.

³ Don’t be desirous of his dainties, since they are deceitful food.

⁴ Don’t weary yourself to be rich. In your wisdom, show restraint.

⁵ Why do you set your eyes on that which is not? For it certainly sprouts wings like an eagle and flies in the sky.

⁶ Don’t eat the food of him who has a stingy eye, and don’t crave his delicacies,

⁷ for as he thinks about the cost, so he is. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

⁸ You will vomit up the morsel which you have eaten and waste your pleasant words.

⁹ Don’t speak in the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.

¹ When you sit to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before you;

² put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite.

³ Don’t be desirous of his dainties, since they are deceitful food.

⁴ Don’t weary yourself to be rich. In your wisdom, show restraint.

⁵ Why do you set your eyes on that which is not? For it certainly sprouts wings like an eagle and flies in the sky.

⁶ Don’t eat the food of him who has a stingy eye, and don’t crave his delicacies,

⁷ for as he thinks about the cost, so he is. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

⁸ You will vomit up the morsel which you have eaten and waste your pleasant words.

⁹ Don’t speak in the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.

¹ When thou sittest to eat with the prince, perceive thou diligently what things be set before thy face,

² and set thou a coulter in thy throat. If nevertheless thou hast power on thy soul,

³ desire thou not of his meats, in whom is the bread of lying.

⁴ Do not thou travail to be made rich, but set thou measure to thy prudence.

⁵ Raise not thine eyes to riches, which thou mayest not have; for those or they shall make to them-selves pens or wings, as of an eagle, and they shall fly into heaven.

⁶ Eat thou not with an envious man, and desire thou not his meats;

⁷ for at the likeness of a false diviner, and of a conjecturer, that is, expounder of dreams, he guesseth that, that he knoweth not. He shall say to thee, Eat thou and drink; and his soul is not with thee.

⁸ Thou shalt spew out the meat, which thou hast eaten; and thou shalt lose thy fair words.

⁹ Speak thou not in the ears of unwise men; for they shall despise the teaching of thy speech.

¹ When thou sittest to eat with the prince, perceive thou diligently what things be set before thy face,

² and set thou a coulter in thy throat. If nevertheless thou hast power on thy soul, (and set thou a knife at thy own throat, if thou hast not power over thy self.)

³ desire thou not of his meats, in whom is the bread of lying. (Do not thou desire any of his food, for he is not what he seemeth to be or for this is not what it seemeth to be.)

⁴ Do not thou travail to be made rich, but set thou measure to thy prudence. (Do not thou labour to be made rich, but set thou a limit to what thou can achieve.)

⁵ Raise not thine eyes to riches, which thou mayest not have; for those shall make to themselves pens, as of an eagle, and they shall fly into heaven. (Raise not up thine eyes to riches, which thou cannot hold onto; for they shall make wings for themselves, like an eagle, and they shall fly away into the heavens.)

⁶ Eat thou not with an envious man, and desire thou not his meats; (Do not thou eat with the envious, and do not thou desire his food;)

⁷ for at the likeness of a false diviner, and of a conjecturer, that is, (an) expounder of dreams, he guesseth that, that he knoweth not. He shall say to thee, Eat thou and drink; and his soul is not with thee (or but his heart is not for thee or but his heart is not with thee).

⁸ Thou shalt spew out the meat, which thou hast eaten; and thou shalt lose thy fair words (or and thy flattery shall have been wasted).

⁹ Speak thou not in the ears of unwise men (or Speak thou not in the ears of the unwise); for they shall despise the teaching of thy speech.

¹ When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, Thou considerest diligently that which is before thee,

² And thou hast put a knife to thy throat, If thou art a man of appetite.

³ Have no desire to his dainties, seeing it is lying food.

⁴ Labour not to make wealth, From thine own understanding cease, Dost thou cause thine eyes to fly upon it? Then it is not.

⁵ For wealth maketh to itself wings, As an eagle it flieth to the heavens.

⁶ Eat not the bread of an evil eye, And have no desire to his dainties,

⁷ For as he hath thought in his soul, so is he, 'Eat and drink,' saith he to thee, And his heart is not with thee.

⁸ Thy morsel thou hast eaten thou dost vomit up, And hast marred thy words that are sweet.

⁹ In the ears of a fool speak not, For he treadeth on the wisdom of thy words.