Глава 23

1–8. A warning against greed in food and against treating unkind people. 9–11. From communicating with stupid people. 12–18. An exhortation to the moral education of children. 19–25. Warning against excess in food. 25–28. From being carried away by the temptations of unchastity. 29–35. From drunkenness and its disastrous consequences. Proverbs 23:1. When you sit down to eat food with the ruler, carefully observe what is in front of you, Proverbs 23:2. and put a barrier in your throat if you are greedy. Proverbs 23:3. Do not be tempted by his delicious dishes; it is deceptive food. Based on the connection of the speech with the last (29) verse of the previous chapter, a person who, thanks to hard work, has achieved a high position at the court of the king, is advised in a new position (as well as in general at dinners with nobles) to maintain moderation in food, as well as in general in the use of external goods (fn. Sir 31.13). Proverbs 23:4. Don't worry about acquiring wealth; leave such thoughts of yours. Proverbs 23:5. You fix your eyes on him, and he is no longer there; because it will make wings for itself and, like an eagle, will fly to the sky. Among these benefits, wealth is named in first place, and its transitory nature and unreliability (cf. 1 Tim. 6.17) are noted with particular force - even wealth acquired through honest means. Proverbs 23:6. Do not eat food from an envious person and do not be tempted by his delicious dishes; Proverbs 23:7. because as the thoughts are in his soul, so is he; “Eat and drink,” he tells you, but his heart is not with you. Proverbs 23:8. The piece you have eaten will be vomited up, and your kind words will be wasted. Proverbs 23:9. Do not speak into the ears of a fool, for he will despise your wise words. In choosing acquaintances and in seeking goodwill from people, one should pay attention to the degree of sincerity of those providing hospitality (cf. Sir 14.10). Proverbs 23:10. Do not move old boundaries and do not enter the fields of orphans, Proverbs 23:12. Apply your heart to learning and your ears to wise words. Proverbs 23:13. Do not leave the young man unpunished: if you punish him with a rod, he will not die; Proverbs 23:14. you will punish him with a rod and save his soul from hell. Proverbs 23:15. My son! if your heart is wise, then my heart will rejoice; Proverbs 23:16. and my inward parts will rejoice when your mouth speaks what is right. Proverbs 23:17. Let not your heart envy sinners, but let it abide all days in the fear of the Lord; Proverbs 23:18. because there is a future, and your hope is not lost. Particular attention is paid to the need for good home education and at the same time it is indicated (Article 13), as previously indicated (13:25), to the need for physical punishment in the education system, as a means of pedagogical and entirely appropriate (Article 14). In the subsequent exhortation to wisdom, the ability of wisdom to make a person happy is highlighted (vv. 15-16), and the first manifestation of wisdom seems to be the absence of envy of prosperous sinners (v. 17, fn. Proverbs 24.1), the presence opposite the fear of God and hope for reward - here and beyond the grave (v. 10); in this case, as in others (Proverbs 11.7, 14.32), the Wise One’s faith in the immortality of the human soul and posthumous reward for the righteous and sinners is expressed. Proverbs 23:19. Listen, my son, and be wise, and guide your heart to the straight path. Proverbs 23:20. Do not be among those who are drunk with wine, or among those who are satiated with meat: Proverbs 23:21. because the drunkard and the sated one will become poor, and drowsiness will be clothed in rags. Proverbs 23:22. Listen to your father: he begat you; and do not despise your mother when she is old. Proverbs 23:23. Buy truth and do not sell wisdom and teaching and reason. Proverbs 23:24. The father of the righteous triumphs, and he who begat the wise man rejoices over him. Proverbs 23:25. May your father rejoice and may your mother, who gave birth to you, rejoice. To practice wisdom, it is necessary first of all to remove the obstacles that stand in the way - the passion for drunkenness and debauchery (vv. 19-21). Then the persistent exhortation to hold on to wisdom, truth, understanding (v. 23) is preceded (v. 22) and ends with an exhortation to honor the authority of father and mother (vv. 24-27) (cf. Proverbs 10.1, 15.20, etc.). Proverbs 23:26. My son! give your heart to me, and let your eyes watch my ways, Proverbs 23:27. for a harlot is a deep abyss, and a strange wife is a narrow well; Proverbs 23:28. she, like a robber, sits in ambush and multiplies lawbreakers among people. It is very important to point out that in order to acquire wisdom, the student had to surrender all of himself to the will and order of the teacher. The warning against the temptations of a harlot wife (vv. 27, 28) recalls the previous speeches of the Wise One and the same subject (Proverbs 5.20, 6.24, 7.5). Proverbs 23:29. Who's howling? who's moaning? who has quarrels? Who's in grief? who has wounds for no reason? who has purple eyes? Proverbs 23:30. Those who sit for a long time drinking wine, who come to look for seasoned wine. Proverbs 23:31. Don’t look at the wine, how it turns red, how it sparkles in the cup, how it flows smoothly: Proverbs 23:32. subsequently, like a snake, it will bite, and sting like an adder; Proverbs 23:33. your eyes will look at other people's wives, and your heart will speak debauchery, Proverbs 23:34. and you will be like one who sleeps in the middle of the sea and like one who sleeps at the top of a mast. Proverbs 23:35. And you will say: “They beat me, it didn’t hurt me; They pushed me, I didn’t feel it. When I wake up, I’ll look for the same thing again.” The picture of the disastrous consequences of drunkenness is presented in a form that is rare in its depiction (cf. Is 56.12). You might be interested in: