23:1

כִּי־תֵשֵׁב לִלְחוֹם אֶת־מוֹשֵׁל בִּין תָּבִין אֶת־אֲשֶׁר לְפָנֶיךָ׃

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

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23:2

וְשַׂמְתָּ שַׂכִּין בְּלֹעֶךָ אִם־בַּעַל נֶפֶשׁ אָתָּה׃

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

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23:3

אַל־תִּתְאָו לְמַטְעַמּוֹתָיו וְהוּא לֶחֶם כְּזָבִים׃

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

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23:4

אַל־תִּיגַע לְהַעֲשִׁיר מִבִּינָתְךָ חֲדָל׃

Weary not thyself to be rich; Cease from thine own wisdom. .

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23:5

התעוף [הֲתָעִיף] עֵינֶיךָ בּוֹ וְאֵינֶנּוּ כִּי עָשֹׂה יַעֲשֶׂה־לּוֹ כְנָפַיִם כְּנֶשֶׁר ועיף [יָעוּף] הַשָּׁמָיִם׃

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

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23:6

אַל־תִּלְחַם אֶת־לֶחֶם רַע עָיִן וְאַל־תתאו [תִּתְאָיו] לְמַטְעַמֹּתָיו׃

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

23:7

כִּי כְּמוֹ־שָׁעַר בְּנַפְשׁוֹ כֶּן־הוּא אֱכֹל וּשְׁתֵה יֹאמַר לָךְ וְלִבּוֹ בַּל־עִמָּךְ׃

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.

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23:8

פִּתְּךָ־אָכַלְתָּ תְקִיאֶנָּה וְשִׁחַתָּ דְּבָרֶיךָ הַנְּעִימִים׃

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

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23:9

בְּאָזְנֵי כְסִיל אַל־תְּדַבֵּר כִּי־יָבוּז לְשֵׂכֶל מִלֶּיךָ׃

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

23:10

אַל־תַּסֵּג גְּבוּל עוֹלָם וּבִשְׂדֵי יְתוֹמִים אַל־תָּבֹא׃

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

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23:11

כִּי־גֹאֲלָם חָזָק הוּא־יָרִיב אֶת־רִיבָם אִתָּךְ׃

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

23:12

הָבִיאָה לַמּוּסָר לִבֶּךָ וְאָזְנֶךָ לְאִמְרֵי־דָעַת׃

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

23:13

אַל־תִּמְנַע מִנַּעַר מוּסָר כִּי־תַכֶּנּוּ בַשֵּׁבֶט לֹא יָמוּת׃

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

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23:14

אַתָּה בַּשֵּׁבֶט תַּכֶּנּוּ וְנַפְשׁוֹ מִשְּׁאוֹל תַּצִּיל׃

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

23:15

בְּנִי אִם־חָכַם לִבֶּךָ יִשְׂמַח לִבִּי גַם־אָנִי׃

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

23:16

וְתַעְלֹזְנָה כִלְיוֹתָי בְּדַבֵּר שְׂפָתֶיךָ מֵישָׁרִים׃

Yea, my reins will rejoice, When thy lips speak right things.

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23:17

אַל־יְקַנֵּא לִבְּךָ בַּחַטָּאִים כִּי אִם־בְּיִרְאַת־יְהוָה כָּל־הַיּוֹם׃

Let not thy heart envy sinners, But be in the fear of the LORD all the day;

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23:18

כִּי אִם־יֵשׁ אַחֲרִית וְתִקְוָתְךָ לֹא תִכָּרֵת׃

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

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23:19

שְׁמַע־אַתָּה בְנִי וַחֲכָם וְאַשֵּׁר בַּדֶּרֶךְ לִבֶּךָ׃

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

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23:20

אַל־תְּהִי בְסֹבְאֵי־יָיִן בְּזֹלֲלֵי בָשָׂר לָמוֹ׃

Be not among winebibbers; Among gluttonous eaters of flesh;

23:21

כִּי־סֹבֵא וְזוֹלֵל יִוָּרֵשׁ וּקְרָעִים תַּלְבִּישׁ נוּמָה׃

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

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23:22

שְׁמַע לְאָבִיךָ זֶה יְלָדֶךָ וְאַל־תָּבוּז כִּי־זָקְנָה אִמֶּךָ׃

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

23:23

אֱמֶת קְנֵה וְאַל־תִּמְכֹּר חָכְמָה וּמוּסָר וּבִינָה׃

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

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23:24

גול [גִּיל] יגול [יָגִיל] אֲבִי צַדִּיק יולד [וְיוֹלֵד] חָכָם וישמח־[יִשְׂמַח־] בּוֹ׃

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

23:25

יִשְׂמַח־אָבִיךָ וְאִמֶּךָ וְתָגֵל יוֹלַדְתֶּךָ׃

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

23:26

תְּנָה־בְנִי לִבְּךָ לִי וְעֵינֶיךָ דְּרָכַי תרצנה [תִּצֹּרְנָה׃]

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

23:27

כִּי־שׁוּחָה עֲמֻקָּה זוֹנָה וּבְאֵר צָרָה נָכְרִיָּה׃

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

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23:28

אַף־הִיא כְּחֶתֶף תֶּאֱרֹב וּבוֹגְדִים בְּאָדָם תּוֹסִף׃

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

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23:29

לְמִי אוֹי לְמִי אֲבוֹי לְמִי מדונים [מִדְיָנִים ] לְמִי שִׂיחַ לְמִי פְּצָעִים חִנָּם לְמִי חַכְלִלוּת עֵינָיִם׃

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

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23:30

לַמְאַחֲרִים עַל־הַיָּיִן לַבָּאִים לַחְקֹר מִמְסָךְ׃

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

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23:31

אַל־תֵּרֶא יַיִן כִּי יִתְאַדָּם כִּי־יִתֵּן בכיס [בַּכּוֹס] עֵינוֹ יִתְהַלֵּךְ בְּמֵישָׁרִים׃

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

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23:32

אַחֲרִיתוֹ כְּנָחָשׁ יִשָּׁךְ וּכְצִפְעֹנִי יַפְרִשׁ׃

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

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23:33

עֵינֶיךָ יִרְאוּ זָרוֹת וְלִבְּךָ יְדַבֵּר תַּהְפֻּכוֹת׃

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

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23:34

וְהָיִיתָ כְּשֹׁכֵב בְּלֶב־יָם וּכְשֹׁכֵב בְּרֹאשׁ חִבֵּל׃

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.

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23:35

הִכּוּנִי בַל־חָלִיתִי הֲלָמוּנִי בַּל־יָדָעְתִּי מָתַי אָקִיץ אוֹסִיף אֲבַקְשֶׁנּוּ עוֹד׃

’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.’

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