Proverbs 23:17-34

¹⁷Don't think enviously of sinners, but always remember to honor the Lord,

¹⁸for there's definitely a future for you, and your hope will not be crushed.

¹⁹Pay attention, my son, and be wise; make sure your mind concentrates on following the right way.

²⁰Don't join in with people who drink too much wine or who stuff themselves with meat.

²¹For people who get drunk and overeat lose all they've got, and they spend so much time dozing that all they have left to wear is rags.

²²Pay attention to your father, and don't disregard your mother when she's old.

²³Invest in truth—and don't sell it! Invest in wisdom, instruction, and understanding.

²⁴Children who do right make their fathers very happy; a wise son brings joy to his father.

²⁵Make your father and mother happy; bring joy to her who gave birth to you.

²⁶My son, give me your undivided attention, and cheerfully follow my example.

²⁷A prostitute is like being trapped in a pit; an immoral woman is like getting stuck a narrow well,

²⁸Like a robber, she lies in wait ready to ambush men and make more of them unfaithful to their wives.

²⁹Who's in trouble? Who's in pain? Who's arguing? Who's complaining? Who's injured for no reason? Who's got bloodshot eyes?

³⁰—those who spend a long time drinking wine, those who are always trying some new cocktail.

³¹Don't let the look of wine tempt you—how red it is, how it sparkles in the cup, how smooth it feels as it goes down.

³²In the end it bites like a serpent, it stings like a snake.

³³You'll hallucinate, seeing strange things, and your confused mind will make you say all kinds of craziness.

³⁴You'll stumble around like you're on the rolling ocean, you'll be tossed about like someone lying down at the top of a ship's mast, saying,