28 [a]Loyalty and (A)truth watch over the king,
And he upholds his throne by [b]loyalty.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 20:28 I.e., covenant loyalty
  2. Proverbs 20:28 I.e., covenant loyalty

28 Gracious love and truth preserve a king;
    through love his throne is made secure.

Read full chapter

28 Love and faithfulness keep a king safe;
    through love(A) his throne is made secure.(B)

Read full chapter

The way of a guilty person is (A)crooked,
But as for the pure, his conduct is upright.

Read full chapter

The conduct[a] of a guilty man is perverse,
    but the behavior of the pure is upright.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 21:8 Lit. way

The way of the guilty is devious,(A)
    but the conduct of the innocent is upright.

Read full chapter

29 A wicked person [a](A)displays a bold face,
But as for the (B)upright, he makes his way sure.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 21:29 Lit makes firm with his face

29 The wicked man puts up a bold appearance,
    but the upright thinks about what he is doing.[a]

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 21:29 Lit. about his ways

29 The wicked put up a bold front,
    but the upright give thought to their ways.(A)

Read full chapter

10 (A)Drive out the scoffer, and strife will leave,
Even quarreling and dishonor will cease.
11 One who loves (B)purity of heart
And [a]whose speech is (C)gracious, the king is his friend.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:11 Lit has grace on his lips

10 Throw out the mocker and strife departs, too;[a]
    furthermore, quarrels[b] and discord will end.

11 Whoever loves purity[c] and gracious speech
    will gain the king as his friend.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:10 The Heb. lacks too
  2. Proverbs 22:10 Or litigation
  3. Proverbs 22:11 Lit. purity of heart

10 Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife;
    quarrels and insults are ended.(A)

11 One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace
    will have the king for a friend.(B)

Read full chapter

On Life and Conduct

23 When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
Consider carefully [a]what is before you,
And put a knife to your throat
If you are a (A)person of great appetite.
Do not (B)desire his delicacies,
For it is deceptive food.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:1 Or who

Things to Avoid in Life

23 Whenever you sit down to dine with a ruler,
carefully think about what is before you.
Put a knife to your own throat,
    if you have a big appetite.[a]
Don’t crave his delicacies,
    because the meal is deceptive.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:2 Lit. a master of an appetite

Saying 7

23 When you sit to dine with a ruler,
    note well what[a] is before you,
and put a knife to your throat
    if you are given to gluttony.
Do not crave his delicacies,(A)
    for that food is deceptive.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:1 Or who

(A)Do not eat the bread of [a]a (B)selfish person;
Or desire his delicacies;
For as he [b]thinks within himself, so he is.
He says to you, “Eat and drink!”
But (C)his heart is not with you.
You will (D)vomit up [c]the morsel you have eaten
And waste your [d]compliments.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:6 Lit an evil eye
  2. Proverbs 23:7 Lit reckons in his soul
  3. Proverbs 23:8 Lit your
  4. Proverbs 23:8 Lit pleasant words

Don’t consume food provided by a miserly[a] person,
    and don’t desire his delicacies,
for as he thinks within himself, so he is.
    “Eat and drink!” he’ll say to you,
        but his heart won’t be with you.
You’ll vomit up what little you’ve eaten,
    and your compliments will have been wasted.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:6 Lit. by the evil eyed

Saying 9

Do not eat the food of a begrudging host,
    do not crave his delicacies;(A)
for he is the kind of person
    who is always thinking about the cost.[a]
“Eat and drink,” he says to you,
    but his heart is not with you.
You will vomit up the little you have eaten
    and will have wasted your compliments.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:7 Or for as he thinks within himself, / so he is; or for as he puts on a feast, / so he is

Take away the (A)wicked before the king,
And his (B)throne will be established in righteousness.

Read full chapter

Purge the wicked from the king’s presence,
    and his throne will be established in righteousness.

Read full chapter

remove wicked officials from the king’s presence,(A)
    and his throne will be established(B) through righteousness.(C)

Read full chapter

One who sends a message by the hand of a fool
Chops off his own feet and drinks violence.

Read full chapter

Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool
    cuts off his own[a] feet and drinks violence.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 26:6 The Heb. lacks his own

Sending a message by the hands of a fool(A)
    is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison.

Read full chapter

10 [a]Like an archer who wounds everyone,
So is one who hires a fool or hires those who pass by.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 26:10 Or A master workman produces all things, But one who hires a fool is like one who hires those who pass by

10 An archer who shoots at anyone—
    is like someone who hires a fool or anyone who passes by.

Read full chapter

10 Like an archer who wounds at random
    is one who hires a fool or any passer-by.

Read full chapter