Proverbs 23 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

Pro 23:1

Pro 23:1While dining with a ruler,
pay attention to what is put before you.

Pro 23:2

Pro 23:2If you are a big eater,
put a knife to your throat;

Pro 23:3

Pro 23:3don’t desire all the delicacies,
for he might be trying to trick you.

Pro 23:4

Pro 23:4Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich.
Be wise enough to know when to quit.

Pro 23:5

Pro 23:5In the blink of an eye wealth disappears,
for it will sprout wings
and fly away like an eagle.

Pro 23:6

Pro 23:6Don’t eat with people who are stingy;
don’t desire their delicacies.

Pro 23:7

Pro 23:7They are always thinking about how much it costs.[fn]
“Eat and drink,” they say, but they don’t mean it.

Pro 23:8

Pro 23:8You will throw up what little you’ve eaten,
and your compliments will be wasted.

Pro 23:9

Pro 23:9Don’t waste your breath on fools,
for they will despise the wisest advice.

Pro 23:10

Pro 23:10Don’t cheat your neighbor by moving the ancient boundary markers;
don’t take the land of defenseless orphans.

Pro 23:11

Pro 23:11For their Redeemer[fn] is strong;
he himself will bring their charges against you.

Pro 23:12

Pro 23:12Commit yourself to instruction;
listen carefully to words of knowledge.

Pro 23:13

Pro 23:13Don’t fail to discipline your children.
They won’t die if you spank them.

Pro 23:14

Pro 23:14Physical discipline
may well save them from death.[fn]

Pro 23:15

Pro 23:15My child,[fn] if your heart is wise,
my own heart will rejoice!

Pro 23:16

Pro 23:16Everything in me will celebrate
when you speak what is right.

Pro 23:17

Pro 23:17Don’t envy sinners,
but always continue to fear the LORD.

Pro 23:18

Pro 23:18You will be rewarded for this;
your hope will not be disappointed.

Pro 23:19

Pro 23:19My child, listen and be wise:
Keep your heart on the right course.

Pro 23:20

Pro 23:20Do not carouse with drunkards
or feast with gluttons,

Pro 23:21

Pro 23:21for they are on their way to poverty,
and too much sleep clothes them in rags.

Pro 23:22

Pro 23:22Listen to your father, who gave you life,
and don’t despise your mother when she is old.

Pro 23:23

Pro 23:23Get the truth and never sell it;
also get wisdom, discipline, and good judgment.

Pro 23:24

Pro 23:24The father of godly children has cause for joy.
What a pleasure to have children who are wise.[fn]

Pro 23:25

Pro 23:25So give your father and mother joy!
May she who gave you birth be happy.

Pro 23:26

Pro 23:26O my son, give me your heart.
May your eyes take delight in following my ways.

Pro 23:27

Pro 23:27A prostitute is a dangerous trap;
a promiscuous woman is as dangerous as falling into a narrow well.

Pro 23:28

Pro 23:28She hides and waits like a robber,
eager to make more men unfaithful.

Pro 23:29

Pro 23:29Who has anguish? Who has sorrow?
Who is always fighting? Who is always complaining?
Who has unnecessary bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?

Pro 23:30

Pro 23:30It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns,
trying out new drinks.

Pro 23:31

Pro 23:31Don’t gaze at the wine, seeing how red it is,
how it sparkles in the cup, how smoothly it goes down.

Pro 23:32

Pro 23:32For in the end it bites like a poisonous snake;
it stings like a viper.

Pro 23:33

Pro 23:33You will see hallucinations,
and you will say crazy things.

Pro 23:34

Pro 23:34You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea,
clinging to a swaying mast.

Pro 23:35

Pro 23:35And you will say, “They hit me, but I didn’t feel it.
I didn’t even know it when they beat me up.
When will I wake up
so I can look for another drink?”

See the NLT Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

NLT Footnotes

(23:7)

The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.

(23:11)

Or redeemer.

(23:14)

Hebrew from Sheol.

(23:15)

Hebrew My son; also in 23:19.

(23:24)

Hebrew to have a wise son.

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For more information on this translation, see the NLT Preface.