Parallel Bible results for "proverbs 23"

Proverbs 23

New International Version NIV

1 When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what is before you,

2 and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony.

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

4 Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness.

5 Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.

6 Do not eat the food of a begrudging host, do not crave his delicacies;

7 for he is the kind of person who is always thinking about the cost.“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 will have wasted your compliments.

9 Do not speak to fools, for they will scorn your prudent words.

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

11 for their Defender is strong; he will take up their case against you.

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

13 Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish them with the rod, they will not die.

14 Punish them with the rod and save them from death.

15 My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad indeed;

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

17 Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the LORD.

18 There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.

19 Listen, my son, and be wise, and set your heart on the right path:

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

21 for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.

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

23 Buy the truth and do not sell it— wisdom, instruction and insight as well.

24 The father of a righteous child has great joy; a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him.

25 May your father and mother rejoice; may she who gave you birth be joyful!

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

27 for an adulterous woman is a deep pit, and a wayward wife is a narrow well.

28 Like a bandit she lies in wait and multiplies the unfaithful among men.

29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?

30 Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.

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

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

33 Your eyes will see strange sights, and your mind will imagine confusing things.

34 You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging.

35 “They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt! They beat me, but I don’t feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink?”

The Message Bible MSG

1 When you go out to dinner with an influential person, mind your manners:

2 Don't gobble your food, don't talk with your mouth full.

3 And don't stuff yourself; bridle your appetite.

4 Don't wear yourself out trying to get rich; restrain yourself

5 Riches disappear in the blink of an eye; wealth sprouts wings and flies off into the wild blue yonder.

6 Don't accept a meal from a tightwad; don't expect anything special.

7 He'll be as stingy with you as he is with himself; he'll say, "Eat! Drink!" but won't mean a word of it.

8 His miserly serving will turn your stomach when you realize the meal's a sham.

9 Don't bother talking sense to fools; they'll only poke fun at your words.

10 Don't stealthily move back the boundary lines or cheat orphans out of their property,

11 For they have a powerful Advocate who will go to bat for them.

12 Give yourselves to disciplined instruction; open your ears to tested knowledge.

13 Don't be afraid to correct your young ones; a spanking won't kill them.

14 A good spanking, in fact, might save them from something worse than death

15 Dear child, if you become wise, I'll be one happy parent.

16 My heart will dance and sing to the tuneful truth you'll speak.

17 Don't for a minute envy careless rebels; soak yourself in the Fear-of-God -

18 That's where your future lies. Then you won't be left with an armload of nothing.

19 Oh listen, dear child - become wise; point your life in the right direction

20 Don't drink too much wine and get drunk; don't eat too much food and get fat.

21 Drunks and gluttons will end up on skid row, in a stupor and dressed in rags. Buy Wisdom, Education, Insigh

22 Listen with respect to the father who raised you, and when your mother grows old, don't neglect her.

23 Buy truth - don't sell it for love or money; buy wisdom, buy education, buy insight.

24 Parents rejoice when their children turn out well; wise children become proud parents.

25 So make your father happy! Make your mother proud!

26 Dear child, I want your full attention; please do what I show you.

27 A whore is a bottomless pit; a loose woman can get you in deep trouble fast.

28 She'll take you for all you've got; she's worse than a pack of thieves.

29 Who are the people who are always crying the blues? Who do you know who reeks of self-pity? Who keeps getting beat up for no reason at all? Whose eyes are bleary and bloodshot?

30 It's those who spend the night with a bottle, for whom drinking is serious business.

31 Don't judge wine by its label, or its bouquet, or its full-bodied flavor.

32 Judge it rather by the hangover it leaves you with - the splitting headache, the queasy stomach.

33 Do you really prefer seeing double, with your speech all slurred,

34 Reeling and seasick, drunk as a sailor?

35 "They hit me," you'll say, "but it didn't hurt; they beat on me, but I didn't feel a thing. When I'm sober enough to manage it, bring me another drink!"