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Thursday, February 6th, 2025
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Read the Bible

Contemporary English Version

Proverbs 23:6

-8-

Don't accept an invitation to eat a selfish person's food, no matter how good it is.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Company;   Guest;   Hospitality;   Hypocrisy;   Thompson Chain Reference - Association-Separation;   Associations;   Blindness-Vision;   Evil;   Eye, Evil;   Social Duties;   Temperance;   Temperance-Intemperance;   The Topic Concordance - Consideration;   Desire;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Eye;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Heart;   Pardon;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Evil Eye;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Proverbs, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Eye (2);   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Dainties;   Meat;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Dainties;   Evil Eye;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - AḥiḴar;   Bread;   Eye;  

Parallel Translations

English Standard Version
Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy; do not desire his delicacies,
Geneva Bible (1587)
Eate thou not the bread of him that hath an euil eye, neither desire his deintie meates.
Christian Standard Bible®
Don’t eat a stingy person’s bread,and don’t desire his choice food,
Hebrew Names Version
Don't eat the food of him who has a stingy eye, And don't crave his delicacies:
Easy-to-Read Version
Don't eat with selfish people. Control any desire you have for their finest foods.
Amplified Bible
Do not eat the bread of a selfish man, Or desire his delicacies;
American Standard Version
Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, Neither desire thou his dainties:
Complete Jewish Bible
Don't eat the food of a stingy man; don't be greedy for his delicacies.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainties;
King James Version (1611)
Eate thou not the bread of him that hath an euill eye, neither desire thou his dainty meates.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Sup not with an envious man, neither desire thou his meats:
English Revised Version
Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainties:
Berean Standard Bible
Do not eat the bread of a stingy man, and do not crave his delicacies;
Lexham English Bible
Do not eat the bread of the stingy, and do not desire his delicacies.
Literal Translation
Do not eat the bread of one having an evil eye, and do not desire his delicacies,
New Century Version
Don't eat the food of selfish people; don't be greedy for their fine foods.
New English Translation
Do not eat the food of a stingy person, do not crave his delicacies;
New King James Version
Do not eat the bread of a miser, [fn] Nor desire his delicacies;
New Living Translation
Don't eat with people who are stingy; don't desire their delicacies.
New Life Bible
Do not eat the bread of a man who thinks only about himself. Do not have a desire for his fine food.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Do not eat the food of him that hath a begrudging eye, neither crave thou his dainties;
Douay-Rheims Bible
Eat not with an envious man, and desire not his meats:
George Lamsa Translation
Do not eat with a hypocrite, neither desire his food;
Good News Translation

-8-

Don't eat at the table of a stingy person or be greedy for the fine food he serves.
New American Standard Bible
Do not eat the bread of a selfish person; Or desire his delicacies;
King James Version
Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Eate thou not the bread of hym that hath an euyll eye: neither desire thou his daintie meate.
New Revised Standard
Do not eat the bread of the stingy; do not desire their delicacies;
Darby Translation
Eat thou not the food of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainties.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Ete thou not with an enuyouse man, and desire thou not hise metis;
Young's Literal Translation
Eat not the bread of an evil eye, And have no desire to his dainties,
World English Bible
Don't eat the food of him who has a stingy eye, And don't crave his delicacies:
Revised Standard Version
Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy; do not desire his delicacies;
Update Bible Version
Don't eat the bread of him that has an evil eye, Neither desire his dainties:
Webster's Bible Translation
Eat thou not the bread of [him that hath] an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainties:
Bible in Basic English
Do not take the food of him who has an evil eye, or have any desire for his delicate meat:
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Eate not thou wt ye envyous, and desyre no his meate,
THE MESSAGE
8 Don't accept a meal from a tightwad; don't expect anything special. He'll be as stingy with you as he is with himself; he'll say, "Eat! Drink!" but won't mean a word of it. His miserly serving will turn your stomach when you realize the meal's a sham.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Do not eat the bread of a selfish man, Or desire his delicacies;
Legacy Standard Bible
Do not eat the bread of a selfish man,And do not desire his delicacies;

Contextual Overview

6

-8-

Don't accept an invitation to eat a selfish person's food, no matter how good it is.
7 People like that take note of how much you eat. They say, "Take all you want!" But they don't mean it. 8 Each bite will come back up, and all your kind words will be wasted.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

an: Proverbs 22:9, Deuteronomy 15:9, Deuteronomy 28:56, Matthew 20:15, Mark 7:22

desire: Proverbs 23:3, Psalms 141:4, Daniel 1:8-10

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 28:54 - his eye Proverbs 28:22 - an evil Isaiah 32:5 - nor Daniel 11:27 - shall be to 2 Corinthians 9:7 - not

Cross-References

Genesis 13:2
Abram was very rich. He owned many cattle, sheep, and goats, and had a lot of silver and gold.
Genesis 14:14
that his nephew Lot had been taken away. Three hundred eighteen of Abram's servants were fighting men, so he took them and followed the enemy as far north as the city of Dan.
Genesis 18:12
So she laughed and said to herself, "Now that I am worn out and my husband is old, will I really know such happiness?"
Genesis 21:22
About this time Abimelech and his army commander Phicol said to Abraham, "God blesses everything you do!
Genesis 23:1
When Sarah was one hundred twenty-seven years old, she died in Kiriath-Arba, better known as Hebron, in the land of Canaan. After Abraham had mourned for her,
Genesis 23:4
"I live as a foreigner in your land, and I don't own any property where I can bury my wife. Please let me buy a piece of land."
Genesis 23:5
"Sir," they answered, "you are an important man. Choose the best place to bury your wife. None of us would refuse you a resting place for your dead."
Genesis 24:18
"I'll be glad to," she answered. Then she quickly took the jar from her shoulder and held it while he drank.
Genesis 24:35
The Lord has been good to my master and has made him very rich. He has given him many sheep, goats, cattle, camels, and donkeys, as well as a lot of silver and gold, and many slaves.
Genesis 31:35
Rachel said, "Father, please don't be angry with me for not getting up; I am having my period." Laban kept on searching, but still did not find the idols.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Eat thou not the bread of [him that hath] an evil eye,.... A sordid covetous man, that grudges every bit that is eaten, in opposition to a man of a good eye, or a bountiful one, that is liberal and generous, Proverbs 22:9; if he invites to a meal, do not accept of it, sit not down at his table to eat with him:

neither desire thou his dainty meats; or savoury food, so as to lust after it; Proverbs 22:9- :.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A different danger from that of Proverbs 23:1. The hazard here is the hospitality of the purse-proud rich, avaricious or grudging even in his banquets.

Evil eye - Not with the later associations of a mysterious power for mischief, but simply, as in the margin ref. and in Matthew 20:15.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Proverbs 23:6. Of him that hath an evil eye — Never eat with a covetous or stingy man; if he entertains you at his own expense, he grudges every morsel you put in your mouth. This is well marked by the wise man in the next verse: "Eat and drink, saith he: but his heart is not with thee."


 
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