(A)Do not weary yourself to gain wealth;
[a](B)Stop dwelling on it.
[b]When you set your eyes on it, it is gone.
For (C)wealth certainly makes itself wings
Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.

(D)Do not eat the bread of [c]a (E)selfish person;
Or desire his delicacies;
For as he [d]thinks within himself, so he is.
He says to you, “Eat and drink!”
But (F)his heart is not with you.
You will (G)vomit up [e]the morsel you have eaten
And waste your [f]compliments.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:4 Lit Refrain from your understanding of it
  2. Proverbs 23:5 Lit Will your eyes fly upon it and it is not?
  3. Proverbs 23:6 Lit an evil eye
  4. Proverbs 23:7 Lit reckons in his soul
  5. Proverbs 23:8 Lit your
  6. Proverbs 23:8 Lit pleasant words

Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich.
    Be wise enough to know when to quit.
In the blink of an eye wealth disappears,
    for it will sprout wings
    and fly away like an eagle.

Don’t eat with people who are stingy;
    don’t desire their delicacies.
They are always thinking about how much it costs.[a]
    “Eat and drink,” they say, but they don’t mean it.
You will throw up what little you’ve eaten,
    and your compliments will be wasted.

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Footnotes

  1. 23:7 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.