Proverbs 23:13-28
Proverbs 23:13-28 The Message (MSG)
Don’t be afraid to correct your young ones; a spanking won’t kill them. A good spanking, in fact, might save them from something worse than death. Dear child, if you become wise, I’ll be one happy parent. My heart will dance and sing to the tuneful truth you’ll speak. Don’t for a minute envy careless rebels; soak yourself in the Fear-of-GOD— That’s where your future lies. Then you won’t be left with an armload of nothing. Oh listen, dear child—become wise; point your life in the right direction. Don’t drink too much wine and get drunk; don’t eat too much food and get fat. Drunks and gluttons will end up on skid row, in a stupor and dressed in rags. Listen with respect to the father who raised you, and when your mother grows old, don’t neglect her. Buy truth—don’t sell it for love or money; buy wisdom, buy education, buy insight. Parents rejoice when their children turn out well; wise children become proud parents. So make your father happy! Make your mother proud! Dear child, I want your full attention; please do what I show you. A prostitute is a bottomless pit; a loose woman can get you in deep trouble fast. She’ll take you for all you’ve got; she’s worse than a pack of thieves.
Proverbs 23:13-28 King James Version (KJV)
Withhold not correction from the child: For if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, And shalt deliver his soul from hell. My son, if thine heart be wise, My heart shall rejoice, even mine. Yea, my reins shall rejoice, When thy lips speak right things. Let not thine heart envy sinners: But be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. For surely there is an end; And thine expectation shall not be cut off. Hear thou, my son, and be wise, And guide thine heart in the way. Be not among winebibbers; Among riotous eaters of flesh: For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: And drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, And despise not thy mother when she is old. Buy the truth, and sell it not; Also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: And he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him. Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, And she that bare thee shall rejoice. My son, give me thine heart, And let thine eyes observe my ways. For a whore is a deep ditch; And a strange woman is a narrow pit. She also lieth in wait as for a prey, And increaseth the transgressors among men.
Proverbs 23:13-28 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)
Do not hold back discipline from the child, Although you strike him with the rod, he will not die. You shall strike him with the rod And rescue his soul from Sheol. My son, if your heart is wise, My own heart also will be glad; And my inmost being will rejoice When your lips speak what is right. Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the LORD always. Surely there is a future, And your hope will not be cut off. Listen, my son, and be wise, And direct your heart in the way. Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat; For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe one with rags. Listen to your father who begot you, And do not despise your mother when she is old. Buy truth, and do not sell it, Get wisdom and instruction and understanding. The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who sires a wise son will be glad in him. Let your father and your mother be glad, And let her rejoice who gave birth to you. Give me your heart, my son, And let your eyes delight in my ways. For a harlot is a deep pit And an adulterous woman is a narrow well. Surely she lurks as a robber, And increases the faithless among men.
Proverbs 23:13-28 New Century Version (NCV)
Don’t fail to punish children. If you spank them, they won’t die. If you spank them, you will save them from death. My child, if you are wise, then I will be happy. I will be so pleased if you speak what is right. Don’t envy sinners, but always respect the LORD. Then you will have hope for the future, and your wishes will come true. Listen, my child, and be wise. Keep your mind on what is right. Don’t drink too much wine or eat too much food. Those who drink and eat too much become poor. They sleep too much and end up wearing rags. Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not forget your mother when she is old. Learn the truth and never reject it. Get wisdom, self-control, and understanding. The father of a good child is very happy; parents who have wise children are glad because of them. Make your father and mother happy; give your mother a reason to be glad. My son, pay attention to me, and watch closely what I do. A prostitute is as dangerous as a deep pit, and an unfaithful wife is like a narrow well. They ambush you like robbers and cause many men to be unfaithful to their wives.
Proverbs 23:13-28 American Standard Version (ASV)
Withhold not correction from the child; For if thou beat him with the rod, he will not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, And shalt deliver his soul from Sheol. My son, if thy heart be wise, My heart will be glad, even mine: Yea, my heart will rejoice, When thy lips speak right things. Let not thy heart envy sinners; But be thou in the fear of Jehovah all the day long: For surely there is a reward; And thy hope shall not be cut off. Hear thou, my son, and be wise, And guide thy heart in the way. Be not among winebibbers, Among gluttonous eaters of flesh: For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; And drowsiness will clothe a man with rags. Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, And despise not thy mother when she is old. Buy the truth, and sell it not; Yea, wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; And he that begetteth a wise child will have joy of him. Let thy father and thy mother be glad, And let her that bare thee rejoice. My son, give me thy heart; And let thine eyes delight in my ways. For a harlot is a deep ditch; And a foreign woman is a narrow pit. Yea, she lieth in wait as a robber, And increaseth the treacherous among men.
Proverbs 23:13-28 New International Version (NIV)
Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish them with the rod, they will not die. Punish them with the rod and save them from death. My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad indeed; my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right. Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the LORD. There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. Listen, my son, and be wise, and set your heart on the right path: Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags. Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. Buy the truth and do not sell it— wisdom, instruction and insight as well. The father of a righteous child has great joy; a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him. May your father and mother rejoice; may she who gave you birth be joyful! My son, give me your heart and let your eyes delight in my ways, for an adulterous woman is a deep pit, and a wayward wife is a narrow well. Like a bandit she lies in wait and multiplies the unfaithful among men.
Proverbs 23:13-28 New King James Version (NKJV)
Do not withhold correction from a child, For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with a rod, And deliver his soul from hell. My son, if your heart is wise, My heart will rejoice—indeed, I myself; Yes, my inmost being will rejoice When your lips speak right things. Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous for the fear of the LORD all the day; For surely there is a hereafter, And your hope will not be cut off. Hear, my son, and be wise; And guide your heart in the way. Do not mix with winebibbers, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat; For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe a man with rags. Listen to your father who begot you, And do not despise your mother when she is old. Buy the truth, and do not sell it, Also wisdom and instruction and understanding. The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who begets a wise child will delight in him. Let your father and your mother be glad, And let her who bore you rejoice. My son, give me your heart, And let your eyes observe my ways. For a harlot is a deep pit, And a seductress is a narrow well. She also lies in wait as for a victim, And increases the unfaithful among men.
Proverbs 23:13-28 Amplified Bible (AMP)
¶Do not withhold discipline from the child; If you swat him with a reed-like rod [applied with godly wisdom], he will not die. You shall swat him with the reed-like rod And rescue his life from Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead). ¶My son, if your heart is wise, My heart will also be glad; Yes, my heart will rejoice When your lips speak right things. ¶Do not let your heart envy sinners [who live godless lives and have no hope of salvation], But [continue to] live in the [reverent, worshipful] fear of the LORD day by day. Surely there is a future [and a reward], And your hope and expectation will not be cut off. Listen, my son, and be wise, And direct your heart in the way [of the LORD]. Do not associate with heavy drinkers of wine, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat, [Is 5:22; Luke 21:34; Rom 13:13; Eph 5:18] For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, And the drowsiness [of overindulgence] will clothe one with rags. ¶Listen to your father, who sired you, And do not despise your mother when she is old. Buy truth, and do not sell it; Get wisdom and instruction and understanding. ¶The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who sires a wise child will have joy in him. Let your father and your mother be glad, And let her who gave birth to you rejoice [in your wise and godly choices]. ¶My son, give me your heart And let your eyes delight in my ways, For a prostitute is a deep pit, And an immoral woman is a narrow well. She lurks and lies in wait like a robber [who waits for prey], And she increases the faithless among men.
Proverbs 23:13-28 New Living Translation (NLT)
Don’t fail to discipline your children. The rod of punishment won’t kill them. Physical discipline may well save them from death. My child, if your heart is wise, my own heart will rejoice! Everything in me will celebrate when you speak what is right. Don’t envy sinners, but always continue to fear the LORD. You will be rewarded for this; your hope will not be disappointed. My child, listen and be wise: Keep your heart on the right course. Do not carouse with drunkards or feast with gluttons, for they are on their way to poverty, and too much sleep clothes them in rags. Listen to your father, who gave you life, and don’t despise your mother when she is old. Get the truth and never sell it; also get wisdom, discipline, and good judgment. The father of godly children has cause for joy. What a pleasure to have children who are wise. So give your father and mother joy! May she who gave you birth be happy. O my son, give me your heart. May your eyes take delight in following my ways. A prostitute is a dangerous trap; a promiscuous woman is as dangerous as falling into a narrow well. She hides and waits like a robber, eager to make more men unfaithful.
Proverbs 23:13-28 The Passion Translation (TPT)
Don’t withhold appropriate discipline from your child. Go ahead and punish him when he needs it. Don’t worry—it won’t kill him! A good spanking could be the very thing that teaches him a lifelong lesson! My beloved child, when your heart is full of wisdom, my heart is full of gladness. And when you speak anointed words, we are speaking mouth to mouth! Don’t allow the actions of evil men to cause you to burn with anger. Instead, burn with unrelenting passion as you worship God in holy awe. Your future is bright and filled with a living hope that will never fade away. As you listen to me, my beloved child, you will grow in wisdom and your heart will be drawn into understanding, which will empower you to make right decisions. Don’t live in the excesses of drunkenness or gluttony, or waste your life away by partying all the time, because drunkards and gluttons sleep their lives away and end up broke! Give respect to your father and mother, for without them you wouldn’t even be here. And don’t neglect them when they grow old. Embrace the truth and hold it close. Don’t let go of wisdom, instruction, and life-giving understanding. When a father observes his child living in godliness, he is ecstatic with joy—nothing makes him prouder! So may your father’s heart burst with joy and your mother’s soul be filled with gladness because of you. My son, give me your heart and embrace fully what I’m about to tell you. Stay far away from prostitutes and you’ll stay far away from the pit of destruction. For sleeping with a promiscuous woman is like falling into a trap that you’ll never be able to escape! Like a robber hiding in the shadows she’s waiting to claim another victim— another husband unfaithful to his wife.
Proverbs 23:13-28 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)
Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol. My son, if your heart is wise, my heart too will be glad. My inmost being will exult when your lips speak what is right. Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the LORD all the day. Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off. Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way. Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags. Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding. The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him. Let your father and mother be glad; let her who bore you rejoice. My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways. For a prostitute is a deep pit; an adulteress is a narrow well. She lies in wait like a robber and increases the traitors among mankind.