9 lest you lose your honor to others

and your dignity to one who is cruel,

10 lest strangers feast on your wealth

and your toil enrich the house of another.

11 At the end of your life you will groan,

when your flesh and body are spent.

12 You will say, “How I hated discipline!

How my heart spurned correction!

9 Lest thou give thine honour unto others, And thy years unto the cruel: 10 Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; And thy labours be in the house of a stranger; 11 And thou mourn at the last, When thy flesh and thy body are consumed, 12 And say, How have I hated instruction, And my heart despised reproof;

9 If you do, you will lose your honor

and will lose to merciless people all you have achieved.

10 Strangers will consume your wealth,

and someone else will enjoy the fruit of your labor.

11 In the end you will groan in anguish

when disease consumes your body.

12 You will say, “How I hated discipline!

If only I had not ignored all the warnings!

9 Lest you give your honor to others,

And your years to the cruel one;

10 Lest aliens be filled with your wealth,

And your labors go to the house of a foreigner;

11 And you mourn at last,

When your flesh and your body are consumed,

12 And say:

“How I have hated instruction,

And my heart despised correction!

9 or you will give your riches to others,

and the best years of your life will be given to someone cruel.

10 Strangers will enjoy your wealth,

and what you worked so hard for will go to someone else.

11 You will groan at the end of your life

when your health is gone.

12 Then you will say, “I hated being told what to do!

I would not listen to correction!

9 Lest thou give thine honor unto others,

And thy years unto the cruel;

10 Lest strangers be filled with thy strength,

And thy labors be in the house of an alien,

11 And thou mourn at thy latter end,

When thy flesh and thy body are consumed,

12 And say, How have I hated instruction,

And my heart despised reproof;

9 lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel; 10 lest strangers be filled with thy wealth, and the fruits of thy toil come into the house of a stranger; 11 and thou mourn in thine end, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed; 12 and thou say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof!

9 Either you will surrender your reputation to others 

and ⸤the rest of⸥ your years to some cruel person, 

10 or strangers will benefit from your strength 

and you will have to work hard in a pagan’s house. 

11 Then you will groan when your end comes, 

when your body and flesh are consumed. 

You will say, 

12 “Oh, how I hated discipline! 

How my heart despised correction! 

9 Otherwise, you will give up your vitality to others

and your years to someone cruel;

10 strangers will drain your resources,

and your earnings will end up in a foreigner’s house.

11 At the end of your life, you will lament

when your physical body has been consumed,

12 and you will say, “How I hated discipline,

and how my heart despised correction.

9 or you will give your honor to others,

and your years to the merciless,

10 and strangers will take their fill of your wealth,

and your labors will go to the house of an alien;

11 and at the end of your life you will groan,

when your flesh and body are consumed,

12 and you say, “Oh, how I hated discipline,

and my heart despised reproof!

9 lest you give your honor to the others,

and your years to the merciless,

10 lest strangers take their fill of your strength,

and your labors go to the house of a foreigner,

11 and you groan at your end,

when your flesh and body are consumed,

12 and say “How I hated discipline,

and I despised reproof!”

9 If you do, you will give your best strength to others.

You will give the best years of your life to someone who is mean.

10 Strangers will use up all of your wealth.

Your hard work will make someone else rich.

11 At the end of your life you will groan.

Your skin and your body will be worn out.

12 You will say, “How I hated to take advice!

How my heart refused to be corrected!

9 Or you will give your vigor to others

And your years to the cruel one;

10 And strangers will be filled with your strength

And your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien;

11 And you groan at your final end,

When your flesh and your body are consumed;

12 And you say, “How I have hated instruction!

And my heart spurned reproof!