Proverbs 22:29–23:5

29 Do you see a man skillful in his work?

He will stand before kings;

he will not stand before obscure men.

1 When you sit down to eat with a ruler,

observe carefully what is before you,

2 and put a knife to your throat

if you are given to appetite.

3 Do not desire his delicacies,

for they are deceptive food.

4 Do not toil to acquire wealth;

be discerning enough to desist.

5 When your eyes light on it, it is gone,

for suddenly it sprouts wings,

flying like an eagle toward heaven.

29 Seest thou a man diligent in his business?

He shall stand before kings;

He shall not stand before mean men.

1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler,

Consider diligently what is before thee:

2 And put a knife to thy throat,

If thou be a man given to appetite.

3 Be not desirous of his dainties:

For they are deceitful meat.

4 Labour not to be rich:

Cease from thine own wisdom.

5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not?

For riches certainly make themselves wings;

They fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

29 Do you see any truly competent workers?

They will serve kings

rather than working for ordinary people.

1 While dining with a ruler,

pay attention to what is put before you.

2 If you are a big eater,

put a knife to your throat;

3 don’t desire all the delicacies,

for he might be trying to trick you.

4 Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich.

Be wise enough to know when to quit.

5 In the blink of an eye wealth disappears,

for it will sprout wings

and fly away like an eagle.

29 Do you see a man who excels in his work?

He will stand before kings;

He will not stand before unknown men.

1 When you sit down to eat with a ruler,

Consider carefully what is before you;

2 And put a knife to your throat

If you are a man given to appetite.

3 Do not desire his delicacies,

For they are deceptive food.

4 Do not overwork to be rich;

Because of your own understanding, cease!

5 Will you set your eyes on that which is not?

For riches certainly make themselves wings;

They fly away like an eagle toward heaven.

29 Do you see people skilled in their work?

They will work for kings, not for ordinary people.

1 If you sit down to eat with a ruler,

notice the food that is in front of you.

2 Control yourself

if you have a big appetite.

3 Don’t be greedy for his fine foods,

because that food might be a trick.

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

be wise enough to control yourself.

5 Wealth can vanish in the wink of an eye.

It can seem to grow wings

and fly away like an eagle.

29 Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings;

He shall not stand before mean men.

1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler,

Consider diligently him that is before thee;

2 And put a knife to thy throat,

If thou be a man given to appetite.

3 Be not desirous of his dainties;

Seeing they are deceitful food.

4 Weary not thyself to be rich;

Cease from thine own wisdom.

5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not?

For riches certainly make themselves wings,

Like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.

29 Hast thou seen a man diligent in his work? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before the mean.

1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider well who is before thee; 2 and put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. 3 Be not desirous of his dainties; for they are deceitful food.

4 Weary not thyself to become rich; cease from thine own intelligence: 5 wilt thou set thine eyes upon it, it is gone; for indeed it maketh itself wings and it flieth away as an eagle towards the heavens.

29 Do you see a person who is efficient in his work? 

He will serve kings. 

He will not serve unknown people. 

1 When you sit down to eat with a ruler, 

pay close attention to what is in front of you, 

2 and put a knife to your throat if you have a big appetite. 

3 Do not crave his delicacies, 

because this is food that deceives you. 

4 Do not wear yourself out getting rich. 

Be smart enough to stop. 

5 Will you catch only a fleeting glimpse of wealth before it is gone? 

It makes wings for itself like an eagle flying into the sky. 

29 Do you see a man skilled in his work?

He will stand in the presence of kings.

He will not stand in the presence of unknown men.

1 When you sit down to dine with a ruler,

consider carefully what is before you,

2 and put a knife to your throat

if you have a big appetite;

3 don’t desire his choice food,

for that food is deceptive.

4 Don’t wear yourself out to get rich;

stop giving your attention to it.

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

for it makes wings for itself

and flies like an eagle to the sky.

29 Do you see those who are skillful in their work?

They will serve kings;

they will not serve common people.

1 When you sit down to eat with an official,

observe carefully what is before you,

2 and put a knife to your throat

if you have a big appetite.

3 Do not desire an official’s delicacies,

for they are deceptive food.

4 Do not wear yourself out to get rich;

be wise enough to desist.

5 When your eyes light upon it, it is gone,

for suddenly it takes wings to itself,

flying like an eagle toward heaven.

29 A man who is skillful in his work, you shall see:

before kings, he will serve;

he will not serve before the commoners.

1 When you sit to eat with a ruler,

you shall surely observe what is before you,

2 and you shall put a knife to your throat

if you have a big appetite.

3 Do not desire his delicacies,

for it is food of deception.

4 Do not tire in order to become rich;

out of your understanding, may you desist.

5 Your eyes will alight on it, but there is nothing to it,

for suddenly it will make for itself wings

like an eagle and it will be exhausted in the heavens.

29 Do you see a man who does good work?

He will serve kings.

He won’t serve ordinary people.

1 When you sit down to eat with a ruler,

look carefully at what’s in front of you.

2 Put a knife to your throat

if you like to eat too much.

3 Don’t long for his fancy food.

It can fool you.

4 Don’t wear yourself out to get rich.

Be wise enough to say no.

5 When you take even a quick look at riches, they are gone.

They grow wings and fly away into the sky like an eagle.

29 Do you see a man skilled in his work?

He will stand before kings;

He will not stand before obscure men.

1 When you sit down to dine with a ruler,

Consider carefully what is before you,

2 And put a knife to your throat

If you are a man of great appetite.

3 Do not desire his delicacies,

For it is deceptive food.

4 Do not weary yourself to gain wealth,

Cease from your consideration of it.

5 When you set your eyes on it, it is gone.

For wealth certainly makes itself wings

Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.