| 1 כִּי־תֵשֵׁב לִלְחֹום אֶת־מֹושֵׁל בִּין תָּבִין אֶת־אֲשֶׁר לְפָנֶיךָ | 1 When you sit down to dine with a ruler, keep in mind who is before you; |
| 2 וְשַׂמְתָּ שַׂכִּין בְּלֹעֶךָ אִם־בַּעַל נֶפֶשׁ אָתָּה | 2 And put a knife to your throat if you have a ravenous appetite. |
| 3 אַל־תִּתְאָו לְמַטְעַמֹּותָיו וְהוּא לֶחֶם כְּזָבִים | 3 Do not desire his delicacies; they are deceitful food. |
| 4 אַל־תִּיגַע לְהַעֲשִׁיר מִבִּינָתְךָ חֲדָל | 4 Toil not to gain wealth, cease to be concerned about it; |
| 5 [הֲתָעוּף כ] (הֲתָעִיף ק) עֵינֶיךָ בֹּו וְאֵינֶנּוּ כִּי עָשֹׂה יַעֲשֶׂה־לֹּו כְנָפַיִם כְּנֶשֶׁר [וְעָיֵף כ] (יָעוּף ק) הַשָּׁמָיִם׃ פ | 5 While your glance flits to it, it is gone! for assuredly it grows wings, like the eagle that flies toward heaven. |
| 6 אַל־תִּלְחַם אֶת־לֶחֶם רַע עָיִן וְאַל־ [תִּתְאָו כ] (תִּתְאָיו ק) לְמַטְעַמֹּתָיו | 6 Do not take food with a grudging man, and do not desire his dainties; |
| 7 כִּי ׀ כְּמֹו־שָׁעַר בְּנַפְשֹׁו כֶּן־הוּא אֱכֹל וּשְׁתֵה יֹאמַר לָךְ וְלִבֹּו בַּל־עִמָּךְ | 7 For in his greed he is like a storm. "Eat and drink," he says to you, though his heart is not with you; |
| 8 פִּתְּךָ־אָכַלְתָּ תְקִיאֶנָּה וְשִׁחַתָּ דְּבָרֶיךָ הַנְּעִימִים | 8 The little you have eaten you will vomit up, and you will have wasted your agreeable words. |
| 9 בְּאָזְנֵי כְסִיל אַל־תְּדַבֵּר כִּי־יָבוּז לְשֵׂכֶל מִלֶּיךָ | 9 Speak not for the fool's hearing; he will despise the wisdom of your words. |
| 10 אַל־תַּסֵּג גְּבוּל עֹולָם וּבִשְׂדֵי יְתֹומִים אַל־תָּבֹא | 10 Remove not the ancient landmark, nor invade the fields of orphans; |
| 11 כִּי־גֹאֲלָם חָזָק הוּא־יָרִיב אֶת־רִיבָם אִתָּךְ | 11 For their redeemer is strong; he will defend their cause against you. |
| 12 הָבִיאָה לַמּוּסָר לִבֶּךָ וְאָזְנֶךָ לְאִמְרֵי־דָעַת | 12 Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to words of knowledge. |
| 13 אַל־תִּמְנַע מִנַּעַר מוּסָר כִּי־תַכֶּנּוּ בַשֵּׁבֶט לֹא יָמוּת | 13 Withhold not chastisement from a boy; if you beat him with the rod, he will not die. |
| 14 אַתָּה בַּשֵּׁבֶט תַּכֶּנּוּ וְנַפְשֹׁו מִשְּׁאֹול תַּצִּיל | 14 Beat him with the rod, and you will save him from the nether world. |
| 15 בְּנִי אִם־חָכַם לִבֶּךָ יִשְׂמַח לִבִּי גַם־אָנִי | 15 My son, if your heart be wise, my own heart also will rejoice; |
| 16 וְתַעְלֹזְנָה כִלְיֹותָי בְּדַבֵּר פָתֶיךָ מֵישָׁרִים | 16 And my inmost being will exult, when your lips speak what is right. |
| 17 אַל־יְקַנֵּא לִבְּךָ בַּחַטָּאִים כִּי אִם־בְּיִרְאַת־יְהוָה כָּל־הַיֹּום | 17 Let not your heart emulate sinners, but be zealous for the fear of the LORD always; |
| 18 כִּי אִם־יֵשׁ אַחֲרִית וְתִקְוָתְךָ לֹא תִכָּרֵת | 18 For you will surely have a future, and your hope will not be cut off. |
| 19 שְׁמַע־אַתָּה בְנִי וַחֲכָם וְאַשֵּׁר בַּדֶּרֶךְ לִבֶּךָ | 19 Hear, my son, and be wise, and guide your heart in the right way. |
| 20 אַל־תְּהִי בְסֹבְאֵי־יָיִן בְּזֹלֲלֵי בָשָׂר לָמֹו | 20 Consort not with winebibbers, nor with those who eat meat to excess; |
| 21 כִּי־סֹבֵא וְזֹולֵל יִוָּרֵשׁ וּקְרָעִים תַּלְבִּישׁ נוּמָה | 21 For the drunkard and the glutton come to poverty, and torpor clothes a man in rags. |
| 22 שְׁמַע לְאָבִיךָ זֶה יְלָדֶךָ וְאַל־תָּבוּז כִּי־זָקְנָה אִמֶּךָ | 22 Listen to your father who begot you, and despise not your mother when she is old. |
| 23 אֱמֶת קְנֵה וְאַל־תִּמְכֹּר חָכְמָה וּמוּסָר וּבִינָה | 23 Get the truth, and sell it not-- wisdom, instruction and understanding. |
| 24 [גֹּול כ] (גִּיל ק) [יָגֹול כ] (יָגִיל ק) אֲבִי צַדִּיק [יֹולֵד כ] (וְיֹולֵד ק) חָכָם [וְיִשְׂמַח־ כ] (יִשְׂמַח־בֹּו׃ ק) | 24 The father of a just man will exult with glee; he who begets a wise son will have joy in him. |
| 25 יִשְׂמַח־אָבִיךָ וְאִמֶּךָ וְתָגֵל יֹולַדְתֶּךָ | 25 Let your father and mother have joy; let her who bore you exult. |
| 26 תְּנָה־בְנִי לִבְּךָ לִי וְעֵינֶיךָ דְּרָכַי [תִּרְצֶנָה כ] (תִּצֹּרְנָה ׃ ק) | 26 My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes keep to my ways. |
| 27 כִּי־שׁוּחָה עֲמֻקָּה זֹונָה וּבְאֵר צָרָה נָכְרִיָּה | 27 For the harlot is a deep ditch, and the adulteress a narrow pit; |
| 28 אַף־הִיא כְּחֶתֶף תֶּאֱרֹב וּבֹוגְדִים בְּאָדָם תֹּוסִף | 28 Yes, she lies in wait like a robber, and increases the faithless among men. |
| 29 לְמִי אֹוי לְמִי אֲבֹוי לְמִי [מִדֹונִים כ] (מִדְיָנִים ׀ ק) לְמִי שִׂיחַ לְמִי פְּצָעִים חִנָּם לְמִי חַכְלִלוּת עֵינָיִם | 29 Who scream? Who shriek? Who have strife? Who have anxiety? Who have wounds for nothing? Who have black eyes? |
| 30 לַמְאַחֲרִים עַל־הַיָּיִן לַבָּאִים לַחְקֹר מִמְסָךְ | 30 Those who linger long over wine, those who engage in trials of blended wine. |
| 31 אַל־תֵּרֶא יַיִן כִּי יִתְאַדָּם כִּי־יִתֵּן [בַּכִּיס כ] (בַּכֹּוס ק) עֵינֹו יִתְהַלֵּךְ בְּמֵישָׁרִים | 31 Look not on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the glass. It goes down smoothly; |
| 32 אַחֲרִיתֹו כְּנָחָשׁ יִשָּׁךְ וּכְצִפְעֹנִי יַפְרִשׁ | 32 but in the end it bites like a serpent, or like a poisonous adder. |
| 33 עֵינֶיךָ יִרְאוּ זָרֹות וְלִבְּךָ יְדַבֵּר תַּהְפֻּכֹות | 33 Your eyes behold strange sights, and your heart utters disordered thoughts; |
| 34 וְהָיִיתָ כְּשֹׁכֵב בְּלֶב־יָם וּכְשֹׁכֵב בְּרֹאשׁ חִבֵּל | 34 You are like one now lying in the depths of the sea, now sprawled at the top of the mast. |
| 35 הִכּוּנִי בַל־חָלִיתִי הֲלָמוּנִי בַּל־יָדָעְתִּי מָתַי אָקִיץ אֹוסִיף אֲבַקְשֶׁנּוּ עֹוד | 35 "They struck me, but it pained me not; They beat me, but I felt it not; When shall I awake to seek wine once again?" |
