¶¹When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee:

²And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.

³Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.

¶ Labour⁴ not to be rich: cease⁵ from thine own wisdom.

Wilt thou⁶ set thine eyes upon⁷ that which⁸ is not? for riches⁹ certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

¶ Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an¹⁰ evil eye, neither desire¹¹ thou his dainty meats:

For as¹² he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat¹³ and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

The morsel¹⁴ which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up¹⁵, and lose¹⁶ thy sweet¹⁷ words.

¶ Speak¹⁸ not in the ears of a fool: for he¹⁹ will despise the wisdom of thy words.

¶ Remove²⁰ not the old landmark²¹; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:

²²For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.

¶²³Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.

²⁴Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.

²⁵Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.

My son²⁶, if²⁷ thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine²⁸.

Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy²⁹ lips speak right things.

¶ Let not³⁰ thine heart envy sinners: but be thou³¹ in the fear of the LORD all the day long.

For surely³² there is an end³³; and thine³⁴ expectation shall not be cut off.

¶ Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide³⁵ thine heart in the way³⁶.

¶ Be not³⁷ among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh³⁸:

For the drunkard³⁹ and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness⁴⁰ shall clothe a man with rags.

Hearken⁴¹ unto thy father that begat thee, and despise⁴² not thy mother when she is old.

Buy⁴³ the truth, and sell⁴⁴ it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

The father⁴⁵ of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have⁴⁶ joy of him.

Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she⁴⁷ that bare thee shall rejoice.

My son⁴⁸, give⁴⁹ me thine heart, and let⁵⁰ thine eyes observe my ways.

⁵¹For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.

She also lieth in wait as for a prey⁵², and increaseth⁵³ the transgressors among men.

¶ Who hath woe⁵⁴? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness⁵⁵ of eyes?

¶ They that tarry⁵⁶ long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed⁵⁷ wine.

⁵⁸Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

At⁵⁹ the last it biteth⁶⁰ like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder⁶¹.

Thine eyes⁶² shall behold strange women, and⁶³ thine heart shall utter perverse things.

Yea, thou⁶⁴ shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst⁶⁵ of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.

They have stricken⁶⁶ me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not:⁶⁷ when shall I awake? I will⁶⁸ seek it yet again.