# Proverbs 23.29-35 **Book:** [Proverbs](/codex/proverbs/) · NASB95 ## Immediate context (±2 verses) **ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/)) > 27. For a harlot is a deep ditch; And a foreign woman is a narrow pit. 28. Yea, she lieth in wait as a robber, And increaseth the treacherous among men. > > **29. Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? Who hath complaining? who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes? 30. They that tarry long at the wine; They that go to seek out mixed wine. 31. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, When it sparkleth in the cup, When it goeth down smoothly: 32. At the last it biteth like a serpent, And stingeth like an adder. 33. Thine eyes shall behold strange things, And thy heart shall utter perverse things. 34. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, Or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. 35. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not hurt; They have beaten me, and I felt it not: When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.** (Proverbs 23:27-35, ASV) **WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/)) > 27. For a prostitute is a deep pit; and a wayward wife is a narrow well. 28. Yes, she lies in wait like a robber, and increases the unfaithful among men. > > **29. Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? 30. Those who stay long at the wine; those who go to seek out mixed wine. 31. Don’t look at the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly. 32. In the end, it bites like a snake, and poisons like a viper. 33. Your eyes will see strange things, and your mind will imagine confusing things. 34. Yes, you will be as he who lies down in the middle of the sea, or as he who lies on top of the rigging: 35. “They hit me, and I was not hurt! They beat me, and I don’t feel it! When will I wake up? I can do it again. I can find another.”** (Proverbs 23:27-35, WEB) **KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/)) > 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. as for: or, as a robber > > **29. Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? 30. They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. 31. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. 32. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. an: or, a cockatrice 33. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. 34. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. the midst: Heb. the heart of the sea 35. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again. I felt: Heb. I knew it not** (Proverbs 23:27-35, KJV) **YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/)) > 27. For a harlot [is] a deep ditch, And a strange woman [is] a strait pit. 28. She also, as catching prey, lieth in wait, And the treacherous among men she increaseth. > > **29. Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions? who hath plaint? Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes? 30. Those tarrying by the wine, Those going in to search out mixed wine. 31. See not wine when it showeth itself red, When it giveth in the cup its colour, It goeth up and down through the upright. 32. Its latter end, as a serpent it biteth, And as a basilisk it stingeth. 33. Thine eyes see strange women, And thy heart speaketh perverse things. 34. And thou hast been as one lying down in the heart of the sea, And as one lying down on the top of a mast. 35. 'They smote me, I have not been sick, They beat me, I have not known. When I awake, I seek it yet again!'** (Proverbs 23:27-35, YLT) ## Setting - **Speaker:** _TBD_ - **Audience:** _TBD_ - **Location:** _TBD_ - **Time period:** _TBD_ ## Theological reading _Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added._ ## Key words _Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word._ - None of the words in this verse has its own lexicon entry yet. ## Quoted in **Concepts:** - [Marijuana and the Bible](/codex/marijuana-and-the-bible/) - [Spirit of Perversion](/codex/spirit-of-perversion/), via [Proverbs 23.33](/codex/proverbs-23-33/) ## Notes _Your annotations._ ## Why these four translations ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the **most literal English translations available** (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the **public domain in the United States**, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance. The four: - **[ASV](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition. - **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English. - **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base. - **[YLT](/codex/ylt/)** (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff. See [Bibles](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.