¹ God presides over heaven’s court;
    he pronounces judgment on the heavenly beings:
² “How long will you hand down unjust decisions
    by favoring the wicked? Interlude

³ “Give justice to the poor and the orphan;
    uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.
⁴ Rescue the poor and helpless;
    deliver them from the grasp of evil people.
⁵ But these oppressors know nothing;
    they are so ignorant!
They wander about in darkness,
    while the whole world is shaken to the core.
⁶ I say, ‘You are gods;
    you are all children of the Most High.
⁷ But you will die like mere mortals
    and fall like every other ruler.’”

⁸ Rise up, O God, and judge the earth,
    for all the nations belong to you.

23 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.

⁶ Don’t eat with people who are stingy;
    don’t desire their delicacies.
⁷ They are always thinking about how much it costs.^[a]
    “Eat and drink,” they say, but they don’t mean it.
⁸ You will throw up what little you’ve eaten,
    and your compliments will be wasted.

⁹ Don’t waste your breath on fools,
    for they will despise the wisest advice.

¹⁰ Don’t cheat your neighbor by moving the ancient boundary markers;
    don’t take the land of defenseless orphans.
¹¹ For their Redeemer^[b] is strong;
    he himself will bring their charges against you.

¹² Commit yourself to instruction;
    listen carefully to words of knowledge.

¹³ Don’t fail to discipline your children.
    The rod of punishment won’t kill them.
¹⁴ Physical discipline
    may well save them from death.^[c]

¹⁵ My child,^[d] if your heart is wise,
    my own heart will rejoice!
¹⁶ Everything in me will celebrate
    when you speak what is right.

¹⁷ Don’t envy sinners,
    but always continue to fear the Lord.
¹⁸ You will be rewarded for this;
    your hope will not be disappointed.

¹⁹ My child, listen and be wise:
    Keep your heart on the right course.
²⁰ Do not carouse with drunkards
    or feast with gluttons,
²¹ for they are on their way to poverty,
    and too much sleep clothes them in rags.

²² Listen to your father, who gave you life,
    and don’t despise your mother when she is old.
²³ Get the truth and never sell it;
    also get wisdom, discipline, and good judgment.
²⁴ The father of godly children has cause for joy.
    What a pleasure to have children who are wise.^[e]
25 So give your father and mother joy!
    May she who gave you birth be happy.

²⁶ O my son, give me your heart.
    May your eyes take delight in following my ways.
²⁷ A prostitute is a dangerous trap;
    a promiscuous woman is as dangerous as falling into a narrow well.
²⁸ She hides and waits like a robber,
    eager to make more men unfaithful.

²⁹ Who has anguish? Who has sorrow?
    Who is always fighting? Who is always complaining?
    Who has unnecessary bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?
³⁰ It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns,
    trying out new drinks.
³¹ Don’t gaze at the wine, seeing how red it is,
    how it sparkles in the cup, how smoothly it goes down.
³² For in the end it bites like a poisonous snake;
    it stings like a viper.
³³ You will see hallucinations,
    and you will say crazy things.
³⁴ You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea,
    clinging to a swaying mast.
³⁵ And you will say, “They hit me, but I didn’t feel it.
    I didn’t even know it when they beat me up.
When will I wake up
    so I can look for another drink?”