Passage

Proverbs 23.33

Book: Proverbs · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"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 23:31-35, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"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 23:31-35, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"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 23:31-35, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"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 23:31-35, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: Solomon (principal); Agur; Lemuel; wise men
Audience: young Israelite men in the wisdom tradition
Location: Israel, Solomonic court
Time period: principal composition c. 970-930 BC (Solomon); compilation c. 700 BC (Hezekiah)

Theological reading

Key words

H3820 - lev, lev (Strong's H3820). Also appears in: Genesis 6.5, Genesis 6, Genesis 18.1-15.

Quoted in

Spirit of Perversion

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 (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
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 for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.