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31:1  Sleeplessness over wealth makes the body waste away, and anxiety about wealth keeps sleep away.
31:2  Worrying will keep you awake, and serious illness will chase sleep away.
31:3  Rich people have worked to accumulate money, and when they rest, they fill themselves with their luxuries.
31:4  Poor people have worked to eke out a living, and when they rest, they become needy again.
31:5  Whoever loves gold won’t be declared just, and whoever pursues profits will be led astray by them.
31:6  Many have been ruined because of gold, and their destruction has met them head-on.
31:7  It’s a stumbling block for those who are possessed by it, and it will take every senseless person captive.
31:8  Happy are the rich who are without blame and who don’t follow after gold.
31:9  Who are they, so that we might praise them? They have done wonders among the people.
31:10  Who has been tested by wealth and been found perfect? For them it will be a reason to boast. Who had the power to sin and didn’t, and could do evil but didn’t?
31:11  The possessions of such people will be secure, and the congregation will tell of their acts of charity.
31:12  Have you been seated at a magnificent table? Don’t be greedy as you sit there, and don’t say, “Look how much food there is!”
31:13  Remember, a greedy eye is a bad thing. What has been created more greedy than the eye? For this reason, every face sheds tears.
31:14  Don’t reach out your hand for whatever you see, and don’t crowd your dinner companion by reaching into the same bowl.
31:15  Put yourself in your companion’s place, and be considerate in everything.
31:16  Eat what’s put in front of you like a normal human being, and don’t chew rudely, or you will be hated.
31:17  Be the first to stop, to show your good breeding, and don’t be gluttonous; otherwise, you will offend.
31:18  If you have been seated with a lot of people, don’t help yourself before they do.
31:19  A little food is more than enough for well-educated people! They won’t gasp for breath when they lie down to sleep.
31:20  Healthy sleep depends on not stuffing yourself. Such people arise early and feel good. The gluttons suffer the pains of insomnia, nausea, and colic.
31:21  If you’ve overstuffed yourself, get up, vomit far away, and you will feel better.
31:22  Listen to me, my child, and don’t show me contempt, and in the end you will understand what I’m saying; be careful in everything you do, and you will never fall sick.
31:23  People will bless those who are generous with bread; they give reliable testimony to the excellence of such people.
31:24  The city will murmur about those who are stingy with bread, giving accurate witness to the wickedness of such people.
31:25  Don’t demonstrate your bravado in wine drinking, because wine has destroyed many.
31:26  A furnace tests the hardening of steel when it’s dipped, so wine tests the heart when the arrogant quarrel.
31:27  If taken in moderation, wine makes people’s lives better. What’s life to those who don’t have wine? It was created from the beginning to bring merriment.
31:28  The right amount of wine consumed at the right time makes for a joyful heart and a light spirit.
31:29  Too much wine drunk in the midst of strife and conflict makes for a bitter spirit.
31:30  Getting drunk causes fools to lose their temper and do themselves harm, reducing their strength, and adding injuries as well.
31:31  Don’t correct your neighbors at a wine banquet, and don’t show them contempt when they are partying; don’t say any reproachful word to them, and don’t trouble them with any demands.