Proverbs 23:1–8

When you sit down to dine with a ruler,

consider carefully whatB is before you,

2 and put a knife to your throat

if you have a bigC appetite;

3 don’t desire his choice food,b

for that food is deceptive.

4 Don’t wear yourself out to get rich;c

because you know better, stop!

5 As soon as your eyes fly to it, it disappears,d

for it makes wings for itself

and flies like an eagle to the sky.

6 Don’t eat a stingy person’s bread,D,e

and don’t desire his choice food,f

7 for it’s like someone calculating inwardly.E,g

“Eat and drink,” he says to you,

but his heart is not with you.h

8 You will vomit the little you’ve eaten

and waste your pleasant words.