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12 A good-for-nothing scoundrel is a person who has a dishonest mouth.
13 He winks his eye,
makes a signal with his foot,
⌞and⌟ points with his fingers.
14 He devises evil all the time with a twisted mind.
He spreads conflict.
15 That is why disaster will come on him suddenly.
In a moment he will be crushed beyond recovery.

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12 A troublemaker and a villain,
    who goes about with a corrupt mouth,
13     who winks maliciously with his eye,(A)
    signals with his feet
    and motions with his fingers,(B)
14     who plots evil(C) with deceit in his heart—
    he always stirs up conflict.(D)
15 Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant;(E)
    he will suddenly(F) be destroyed—without remedy.(G)

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10 Whoever winks with his eye causes heartache.
The one who talks foolishly will be thrown down headfirst.
11 The mouth of a righteous person is a fountain of life,
but the mouths of wicked people conceal violence.

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10 Whoever winks maliciously(A) causes grief,
    and a chattering fool comes to ruin.

11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,(B)
    but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.(C)

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Integrity guides decent people,
but hypocrisy leads treacherous people to ruin.

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The integrity of the upright guides them,
    but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.(A)

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30 Whoever winks his eye is plotting something devious.
Whoever bites his lips has finished his evil work.

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30 Whoever winks(A) with their eye is plotting perversity;
    whoever purses their lips is bent on evil.

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14 “Bad! Bad!” says the buyer.
Then, as he goes away, he brags ⌞about his bargain⌟.

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14 “It’s no good, it’s no good!” says the buyer—
    then goes off and boasts about the purchase.

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Do not eat the food of one who is stingy,
and do not crave his delicacies.
As he calculates the cost to himself, this is what he does:
He tells you, “Eat and drink,”
but he doesn’t really mean it.
You will vomit the little bit you have eaten
and spoil your pleasant conversation.

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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.

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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

23 ⌞Like⌟ a clay pot covered with cheap silver,
⌞so⌟ is smooth talk that covers up an evil heart.
24 Whoever is filled with hate disguises it with his speech,
but inside he holds on to deceit.
25 When he talks charmingly, do not trust him
because of the seven disgusting things in his heart.
26 His hatred is deceitfully hidden,
but his wickedness will be revealed to the community.

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23 Like a coating of silver dross on earthenware
    are fervent[a] lips with an evil heart.
24 Enemies disguise themselves with their lips,(A)
    but in their hearts they harbor deceit.(B)
25 Though their speech is charming,(C) do not believe them,
    for seven abominations fill their hearts.(D)
26 Their malice may be concealed by deception,
    but their wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 26:23 Hebrew; Septuagint smooth