When you sit down to dine with a ruler, carefully consider what is before you.

When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee:

Place a knife to your throat if you are a person given to appetite.

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

Do not crave his delicacies, for they are deceptive food.

Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.

Do not wear yourself out trying to become rich; stop relying on your own understanding.

Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.

Will you fix your eyes on wealth only for it to vanish? For it makes itself wings and flies away like an eagle toward the heavens.

Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

Do not eat the bread of a stingy person, nor crave his delicacies.

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

For as he thinks within himself, so is he. He says to you, 'Eat and drink,' but his heart is not with you.

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

You will vomit up the morsel you have eaten and waste your pleasant words.

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

Do not speak in the ears of a fool, for he will despise the insight of your words.

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

Do not move an ancient boundary marker, nor enter the fields of the fatherless.

Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:

For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their case against you.

For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.

Apply your heart to discipline, and your ears to the words of knowledge.

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

Do not withhold discipline from a child; though you strike him with the rod, he will not die.

Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.

You shall strike him with the rod and deliver his soul from Sheol.

Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.

My son, if your heart becomes wise, my heart will also rejoice.

My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.

Yes, my inmost being will exult when your lips speak what is right.

Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.

Do not let your heart envy sinners, but live in the fear of the Lord all day long.

Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.

For surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.

For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

Listen, my son, and be wise, and guide your heart on the right path.

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

Do not be among heavy drinkers of wine or gluttons of meat.

Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:

For the drunkard and the glutton will become poor, and drowsiness will clothe them in rags.

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

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

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

Buy the truth and do not sell it—wisdom, instruction, and understanding.

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

The father of a righteous child will greatly rejoice; a man who fathers a wise son will delight in him.

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

May your father and mother rejoice, and may she who gave you birth be joyful.

Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.

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

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

For a prostitute is a deep pit, and a narrow well is a deceitful woman.

For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.

She also lies in wait like a robber, and increases the unfaithful among men.

She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.

Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless wounds? Who has bloodshot eyes?

Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?

Those who linger over wine, who go to sample mixed drinks.

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

Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.

Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

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

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

Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart will utter perverse things.

Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.

You will be like one lying down in the middle of the sea, or like one lying on the top of a mast.

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.

'They struck me,' you will say, 'but I was not hurt; they beat me, but I did not feel it. When will I wake up so I can look for another drink?'

They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.