Proverbs 23:1-35
Do Not Envy Sinners
1When you sit down to dine with a ruler, consider carefully what is set before you,
2and put a knife to your throat if you possess a great appetite.
3Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive.
4Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough to restrain yourself.
5When you glance at wealth, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky.
6Do not eat the bread of a stingy man, and do not crave his delicacies;
7for he is keeping track, inwardly counting the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.
8You will vomit up what little you have eaten and waste your pleasant words.
9Do not speak to a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.
10Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless,
11for their Redeemer is strong; He will take up their case against you.
12Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.
13Do not withhold discipline from a child; although you strike him with a rod, he will not die.
14Strike him with a rod, and you will deliver his soul from Sheol.
15My son, if your heart is wise, my own heart will indeed rejoice.
16My inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.
17Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always continue in the fear of the LORD.
18For surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
19Listen, my son, and be wise, and guide your heart on the right course.
20Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat.
21For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe them in rags.
22Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.
23Invest in truth and never sell it—in wisdom and instruction and understanding.
24The father of a righteous man will greatly rejoice, and he who fathers a wise son will delight in him.
25May your father and mother be glad, and may she who gave you birth rejoice!
26My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes delight in my ways.
27For a prostitute is a deep pit, and an adulteress is a narrow well.
28Like a robber she lies in wait and multiplies the faithless among men.
29Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has needless wounds? Who has bloodshot eyes?
30Those who linger over wine, who go to taste mixed drinks.
31Do not gaze at wine while it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.
32In the end it bites like a snake and stings like a viper.
33Your eyes will see strange things, and your mind will utter perversities.
34You will be like one sleeping on the high seas or lying on the top of a mast:
35“They struck me, but I feel no pain! They beat me, but I did not know it! When can I wake up to search for another drink?”
Berean Standard Bible
The chapter begins at a ruler's table. When you sit to eat with someone powerful, pay attention and control your appetite. The warning is about more than food: do not let another person's abundance or favor make you abandon judgment. A rich meal can carry an obligation hidden beneath its generosity.
The sayings continue with warnings about wealth, boundaries, and instruction. Do not exhaust yourself trying to become rich; riches grow wings and disappear. Do not move an ancient boundary or exploit an orphan. The poor may have little social power, but the LORD is their Redeemer and sees those who take advantage.
The father then urges his son to buy truth and not sell it. Wisdom, discipline, and understanding are worth acquiring even when they cost comfort. A wise child brings joy to parents, but the deepest parental desire is not achievement. It is to see a son or daughter walking in truth.
The chapter returns to wine and warns against lingering over it. The drinker sees strange things and speaks perversely, yet still seeks another cup. The closing image is a person beaten and numb, asking when he can wake up and repeat the cycle. This is not mockery; it is a clear portrait of bondage.
Questions
1 What should a guest at a ruler's table watch?
AnswerHe should watch himself carefully, because apparent hospitality can tempt him to surrender judgment or become indebted to power.
2 Why should we not wear ourselves out seeking riches?
AnswerWealth is unstable and can disappear quickly, so it cannot bear the weight of a life's deepest hope.
3 What should never be sold?
AnswerTruth, wisdom, discipline, and understanding should never be traded away for convenience or temporary advantage.
4 What does the final picture reveal about drunkenness?
AnswerIt reveals a cycle of harm and craving in which a person recognizes his misery yet reaches again for what has mastered him.
What This Means for Us
Envy makes another person's table look like the answer to our life. Wisdom helps us notice the cost beneath the appearance and remain grateful without pretending wealth is secure. It also directs our attention to people who can be displaced or exploited without much resistance.
When a habit has become a cycle, shame alone is not a plan. Truth-telling, practical limits, and help from trustworthy people may be necessary. Naming bondage honestly is a beginning of freedom.
Prayer
LORD, keep us from envy, greed, and the desire to gain favor at the cost of truth. Protect the vulnerable from exploitation, and give anyone trapped in a destructive habit courage to seek honest help and a new path. Amen.