Proverbs 22:28–23:9
28 Do not move the ancient alandmark
that your fathers have set.
29 Do you see a man skillful in his work?
He will bstand before kings;
he will not stand before obscure men.
23 When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
observe carefully what1 is before you,
2 and put a knife to your throat
if you are given to appetite.
3 cDo not desire his delicacies,
for they are deceptive food.
4 dDo not toil to acquire wealth;
ebe discerning enough to desist.
5 When your eyes light on it, it is gone,
ffor suddenly it sprouts wings,
flying like an eagle toward heaven.
6 gDo not eat the bread of a man who is hstingy;2
ido not desire his delicacies,
7 for he is like one who is inwardly calculating.3
“Eat and drink!” he says to you,
but his jheart is not with you.
8 You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten,
and waste your pleasant words.
9 Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,
for he will despise the good sense of your words.