23:001

When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider well him that is before thee

23:002

And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite

23:003

Be not desirous of his dainties; seeing they are deceitful food

23:004

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

23:005

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

23:006

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

23:007

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

23:008

The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words

23:009

Speak not in the ears of a fool; for he will despise the wisdom of thy words

23:010

Remove not the ancient landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless

23:011

For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their cause with thee

23:012

Apply thy heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge

23:013

Withhold not correction from the child; for though thou beat him with the rod, he will not die

23:014

Thou beatest him with the rod, and wilt deliver his soul from the nether-world

23:015

My son, if thy heart be wise, my heart will be glad, even mine

23:016

Yea, my reins will rejoice, when thy lips speak right things

23:017

Let not thy heart envy sinners, but be in the fear of HaShem all the day

23:018

For surely there is a future; and thy hope shall not be cut off

23:019

Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thy heart in the way

23:020

Be not among winebibbers; among gluttonous eaters of flesh

23:021

For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags

23:022

Hearken unto thy father that begot thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old

23:023

Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding

23:024

The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; and he that begetteth a wise child will have joy of him

23:025

Let thy father and thy mother be glad, and let her that bore thee rejoice

23:026

My son, give me thy heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways

23:027

For a harlot is a deep ditch; and an alien woman is a narrow pit

23:028

She also lieth in wait as a robber, and increaseth the faithless among men

23:029

Who crieth: 'Woe'? who: 'Alas'? Who hath contentions? who hath raving? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes

23:030

They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to try mixed wine

23:031

Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth its colour in the cup, when it glideth down smoothly

23:032

At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like a basilisk

23:033

Thine eyes shall behold strange things, and thy heart shall utter confused things

23:034

Yea, 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

23:035

'They have struck me, and I felt it not, they have beaten me, and I knew it not; when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.