¹⁶A country is in trouble when its king is a youth and its leaders feast all night long. ¹⁷But a country is fortunate to have a king who makes his own decisions and leaders who eat at the proper time, who control themselves and don’t get drunk.

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In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,

and your princes feast in the morning!

Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility,

and your princes feast at the proper time,

for strength, and not for drunkenness!

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Woe to the land whose king was a servant

and whose princes feast in the morning.

Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth

and whose princes eat at a proper time—

for strength and not for drunkenness.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Woe to you, land, when your king is a youth

and your princes feast in the morning.

Blessed are you, land, when your king is a son of nobles

and your princes feast at the proper time—

for strength and not for drunkenness.

NLTNew Living Translation

What sorrow for the land ruled by a servant,

the land whose leaders feast in the morning.

Happy is the land whose king is a noble leader

and whose leaders feast at the proper time

to gain strength for their work, not to get drunk.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Woe to you, O land, when your king is a youth

and your princes feast in the morning.

Blessed are you, O land, when your king is a son of nobility

and your princes feast at the proper time—

to gain strength and not to get drunk.

KJV 1900King James Version

Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning! Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

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