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Viewing the Standard King James Version (Pure Cambridge). Click to switch to 1611 King James Version of Proverbs Chapter 23
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.
6 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:
8 The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.
9 Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
10 Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:
11 For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.
12 Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.
13 Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.
14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.
15 My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.
16 Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.
17 Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.
18 For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.
19 Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.
20 Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:
21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
22 Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
25 Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.
26 My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.
27 For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.
28 She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.
30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.
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Matthew Henry's Proverbs Chapter 23 Bible commentary...
1-3 God's restraints of the appetite only say, Do thyself no harm. #4,5|. Be not of those that will be rich. The things of this world are not happiness and a portion for a soul; those that hold them ever so fast, cannot hold them always, cannot hold them long. #6-8|. Do not make thyself burdensome to any, especially those not sincere. When we are called by God to his feast, and to let our souls delight themselves, #Isa 25:6; 55:2|, we may safely partake of the Bread of life. #9|. It is our duty to take all fit occasions to speak of Divine things; but if what a wise man says will not be heard, let him hold his peace. #10,11|. The fatherless are taken under God's special protection. He is their Redeemer, who will take their part; and he is mighty, almighty.
12-16 Here is a parent instructing his child to give his mind to the Scriptures. Here is a parent correcting his child: accompanied with prayer, and blessed of God, it may prove a means of preventing his destruction. Here is a parent encouraging his child, telling him what would be for his good. And what a comfort it would be, if herein he answered his expectation! #17,18|. The believer's expectation shall not be disappointed; the end of his trials, and of the sinner's prosperity, is at hand.
19-28 The gracious Saviour who purchased pardon and peace for his people, with all the affection of a tender parent, counsels us to hear and be wise, and is ready to guide our hearts in his way. Here we have an earnest call to young people, to attend to the advice of their godly parents. If the heart be guided, the steps will be guided. Buy the truth, and sell it not; be willing to part with any thing for it. Do not part with it for pleasures, honours, riches, or any thing in this world. The heart is what the great God requires. We must not think to divide the heart between God and the world; he will have all or none. Look to the rule of God's word, the conduct of his providence, and the good examples of his people. Particular cautions are given against sins most destructive to wisdom and grace in the soul. It is really a shame to make a god of the belly. Drunkenness stupifies men, and then all goes to ruin. Licentiousness takes away the heart that should be given to God. Take heed of any approaches toward this sin, it is very hard to retreat from it. It bewitches men to their ruin.
29-35 Solomon warns against drunkenness. Those that would be kept from sin, must keep from all the beginnings of it, and fear coming within reach of its allurements. Foresee the punishment, what it will at last end in, if repentance prevent not. It makes men quarrel. Drunkards wilfully make woe and sorrow for themselves. It makes men impure and insolent. The tongue grows unruly; the heart utters things contrary to reason, religion, and common civility. It stupifies and besots men. They are in danger of death, of damnation; as much exposed as if they slept upon the top of a mast, yet feel secure. They fear no peril when the terrors of the Lord are before them; they feel no pain when the judgments of God are actually upon them. So lost is a drunkard to virtue and honour, so wretchedly is his conscience seared, that he is not ashamed to say, I will seek it again. With good reason we were bid to stop before the beginning. Who that has common sense would contract a habit, or sell himself to a sin, which tends to such guilt and misery, and exposes a man every day to the danger of dying insensible, and awaking in hell? Wisdom seems in these chapters to take up the discourse as at the beginning of the book. They must be considered as the words of Christ to the sinner.
Comments for Proverbs Chapter 23...
Susan Dalton's Proverbs Chapter 23 comment about verse 10 on 2/21/2013, 2:36am...
Remove not the old landmark; Proverbs 23:10. How can one person remove a shared boundary marker without the knowledge and consent of the one with whom he/she shares the boundary and that be not unlawful? If not unlawful, at least, inconsiderate. If we do not recognize shared boundaries, we become insolent toward the one with whom we share the boundary. If two people share a property line, it is a very thin line. In actuality, a line is very thin, though it has two borders. A line has two sides and it shares a very narrow space in between - very small; but cross that very small space and you are on someone else's property. Now, if two share a line, and a marker is set defining that boundary, and one person removes the one and only boundary marker, that person has chosen to remove that which was to mark a boundary for two. That one has removed visibly that which was not only for him/herself, but, which was also for the other. A visual testament to a boundary has been taken away. If someone bought land and the neighbor of that land had been mowing way pass their boundary onto the land that has been recently bought, so that now the new owners have had people come onto their land accusing them of being on someone else's land because those people must have assumed because the other owner mowed so far over if was his land. So, the new owner would go and show the boundary marker so to put to rest the controversy. Now, the boundary marker has been removed - someone dug it up. The plot of land is surveyed, plotted, deeded and recorded, but, for some that visible boundary marker served to show what is legal and recorded. No wonder we have so many acts of insolence and violence in our society. That which is deeded and recorded by God is still the right statues and judgments, but, man has removed many of the old landmarks; some people may know the boundaries without the landmarks, many must not know where the boundaries are; or, even sadder, many just don't care.
Salomão's Proverbs Chapter 23 comment about verse 30 on 2/19/2013, 8:32pm...
The apostle Paul commands us to be not drunk with wine, in which is excess; but to be filled with the Spirit; Ephesians 5:18. The church has been slowing down his prayer life, let’s pray God to revive his Church in our generation (Habakkuk 3:2).
Salomão's Proverbs Chapter 23 comment about verse 10 on 2/19/2013, 7:54pm...
We are called not to remove the old landmarks! The landmark of sound doctrine, of Christian traditions, etc. Enoch walked with God and was translated, Methuselah lived 969 years old, if we look carefully, we will see that those people belonged to the pious lineage, and didn’t remove the old landmarks!
Art's Proverbs Chapter 23 comment about verse 13 on 2/10/2013, 9:22pm...
It works, our creator knows what works for us, since He made us. God’s word works.
HARRY ALLISON's Proverbs Chapter 23 comment on 10/23/2012, 4:23am...
JESUS GIVES ...satan takes....
HARRY ALLISON's Proverbs Chapter 23 comment on 8/23/2012, 4:44am...
DECEIT is DECEPTIVE!
HARRY ALLISON's Proverbs Chapter 23 comment on 6/23/2012, 4:33am...
DRUGS and alcohol are no respecter of persons.they take everybody down....
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