Whoever conceals an offense promotes love,(A)
but whoever gossips about it separates friends.(B)

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Love prospers when a fault is forgiven,
    but dwelling on it separates close friends.

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The wounds of a friend are trustworthy,(A)
but the kisses of an enemy are excessive.(B)

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Wounds from a sincere friend
    are better than many kisses from an enemy.

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Oil(A) and incense bring joy to the heart,
and the sweetness of a friend is better than self-counsel.[a]

10 Don’t abandon your friend or your father’s friend,(B)
and don’t go to your brother’s house
in your time of calamity;
better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.(C)

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Notas al pie

  1. Proverbs 27:9 LXX reads heart, but the soul is torn up by affliction

The heartfelt counsel of a friend
    is as sweet as perfume and incense.

10 Never abandon a friend—
    either yours or your father’s.
When disaster strikes, you won’t have to ask your brother for assistance.
    It’s better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away.

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