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.

Proverbs Chapter 23 — Additional Translations:

King James Version New King James Version New International Version English Standard Version Christian Standard Bible New American Standard Bible 2020 New American Standard Bible 1995 Legacy Standard Bible Amplified Bible New English Translation Revised Standard Version American Standard Version Young's Literal Translation Darby Translation Webster's Bible Hebrew Names Version Latin Vulgate Westminster Leningrad Codex Septuagint Smith Van Dyck Arabic Bible Open New Arabic Version Brenton's English Septuagint Reina Valera 1909 Reina-Valera 1960 Bible in Basic English Chinese Traditional Union Espanol Moderno Korean Holy Bible Louis Segond German Luther Russian Synodal Translation Sagradas Escrituras

Proverbs 23 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

NLT Footnotes

Proverbs Chapter 23 — Additional Translations:

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