Proverbs 23:12-Proverbs 24:22 - Learning From Your Father
12 Give your heart to teaching, and your ears to the words of knowledge.
13 Do not keep back training from the child: for even if you give him blows with the rod, it will not be death to him. 14 Give him blows with the rod, and keep his soul safe from the underworld
15 My son, if your heart becomes wise, I, even I, will be glad in heart; 16 And my thoughts in me will be full of joy when your lips say right things.
17 Have no envy of sinners in your heart, but keep in the fear of the Lord all through the day; 18 For without doubt there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
19 Give ear, my son, and be wise, guiding your heart in the right way 20 Do not be among those who give themselves to wine-drinking, or among those who make themselves full with meat: 21 For those who take delight in drink and feasting will come to be in need; and through love of sleep a man will be poorly clothed
22 Give ear to your father whose child you are, and do not keep honour from your mother when she is old. 23 Get for yourself that which is true, and do not let it go for money; get wisdom and teaching and good sense. 24 The father of the upright man will be glad, and he who has a wise child will have joy because of him. 25 Let your father and your mother be glad, let her who gave you birth have joy.
26 My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes take delight in my ways. 27 For a loose woman is a deep hollow, and a strange woman is a narrow water-hole. 28 Yes, she is waiting secretly like a beast for its food, and deceit by her is increased among men.
29 Who says, Oh! who says, Ah! who has violent arguments, who has grief, who has wounds without cause, whose eyes are dark? 30 Those who are seated late over the wine: those who go looking for mixed wine. 31 Keep your eyes from looking on the wine when it is red, when its colour is bright in the cup, when it goes smoothly down: 32 In the end, its bite is like that of a snake, its wound like the wound of a poison-snake. 33 Your eyes will see strange things, and you will say twisted things. 34 Yes, you will be like him who takes his rest on the sea, or on the top of a sail-support. 35 They have overcome me, you will say, and I have no pain; they gave me blows without my feeling them: when will I be awake from my wine? I will go after it again.
1 Have no envy for evil men, or any desire to be with them: 2 For the purposes of their hearts are destruction, and their lips are talking of trouble.
3 The building of a house is by wisdom, and by reason it is made strong: 4 And by knowledge its rooms are full of all dear and pleasing things.
5 A wise man is strong; and a man of knowledge makes strength greater. 6 For by wise guiding you will overcome in war: and in a number of wise guides there is salvation.
7 Wisdom is outside the power of the foolish: he keeps his mouth shut in the public place.
8 He whose purposes are bad will be named a man of evil designs. 9 The purpose of the foolish is sin: and the hater of authority is disgusting to others.
10 If you give way in the day of trouble, your strength is small. 11 Be the saviour of those who are given up to death, and do not keep back help from those who are slipping to destruction. 12 If you say, See, we had no knowledge of this: does not the tester of hearts give thought to it? and he who keeps your soul, has he no knowledge of it? and will he not give to every man the reward of his work?
13 My son, take honey, for it is good; and the flowing honey, which is sweet to your taste: 14 So let your desire be for wisdom: if you have it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
15 Do not keep a secret watch, O evil-doer, against the fields of the upright man, or send destruction on his resting-place: 16 For an upright man, after falling seven times, will get up again: but trouble is the downfall of the evil.
17 Do not be glad at the fall of your hater, and let not your heart have joy at his downfall: 18 For fear that the Lord may see it, and it may be evil in his eyes, and his wrath may be turned away from him.
19 Do not be troubled because of evil-doers, or have envy of sinners: 20 For there will be no future for the evil man; the light of sinners will be put out.
21 My son, go in fear of the Lord and the king: have nothing to do with those who are in high positions: 22 For their downfall will come suddenly; and who has knowledge of the destruction of those in high positions?