²⁸ Kindness and truth preserve the king;
And ^[a]his throne is upholden by kindness.

⁸ The way of him that is laden with guilt is exceeding crooked;
But as for the pure, his work is ^[a]right.

²⁹ A wicked man hardeneth his face;
But as for the upright, ^[a]he establisheth his ways.

¹⁰ Cast out the scoffer, and contention will go out;
Yea, strife and ignominy will cease.
¹¹ He that loveth ^[a]pureness of heart,
^[b]For the grace of his lips the king will be his friend.

23 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler,
Consider diligently ^[a]him that is before thee;
^2 [b]And put a knife to thy throat,
If thou be a man given to appetite.
³ Be not desirous of his dainties;
Seeing they are deceitful food.

⁶ Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye,
Neither desire thou his dainties:
⁷ For ^[a]as he thinketh within himself, so is he:
Eat and drink, saith he to thee;
But his heart is not with thee.
⁸ The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up,
And lose thy sweet words.

⁵ Take away the wicked from before the king,
And his throne shall be established in righteousness.

⁶ He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool
Cutteth off his own feet, and drinketh in damage.

^10 [a]As an archer that woundeth all,
So is he that hireth a fool and he that hireth them that pass by.

²⁴ He that hateth dissembleth with his lips;
But he layeth up deceit within him:
²⁵ When he speaketh fair, believe him not;
For there are seven abominations in his heart:
²⁶ Though his hatred cover itself with guile,
His wickedness shall be openly showed before the assembly.
²⁷ Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein;
And he that rolleth a stone, it shall return upon him.
²⁸ A lying tongue hateth those whom it hath ^[a]wounded;
And a flattering mouth worketh ruin.