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

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28 Loyalty and faithfulness preserve the king,
    and his throne is upheld by righteousness.[a](A)

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Footnotes

  1. 20.28 Gk: Heb loyalty

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

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The way of the guilty is crooked,
    but the conduct of the pure is right.

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

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29 The wicked put on a bold face,
    but the upright give thought to[a] their ways.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 21.29 Or establish

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)

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10 Drive out a scoffer, and strife goes out;
    quarreling and abuse will cease.(A)
11 Those who love a pure heart and are gracious in speech
    will have the king as a friend.(B)

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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.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:1 Or who

23 When you sit down to eat with an official,
    observe carefully what[a] is before you,
and put a knife to your throat
    if you have a big appetite.
Do not desire an official’s[b] delicacies,
    for they are deceptive food.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 23.1 Or who
  2. 23.3 Heb his

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

Do not eat the bread of the stingy;
    do not desire their delicacies,(A)
for like a hair in the throat, so are they.[a]
    “Eat and drink!” they say to you,
    but they do not mean it.(B)
You will vomit up the little you have eaten,
    and you will waste your pleasant words.

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Footnotes

  1. 23.7 Meaning of Heb uncertain

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

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take away the wicked from the presence of the king,
    and his throne will be established in righteousness.(A)

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

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It is like cutting off one’s foot and drinking down violence,
    to send a message by a fool.

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

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10 Like an archer who wounds everybody
    is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. 26.10 Meaning of Heb uncertain

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.
27 Whoever digs a pit(E) will fall into it;(F)
    if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them.(G)
28 A lying tongue hates those it hurts,
    and a flattering mouth(H) works ruin.

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24 An enemy dissembles in speaking
    while harboring deceit within;(A)
25 when an enemy speaks graciously, do not believe it,
    for there are seven abominations concealed within;(B)
26 though hatred is covered with guile,
    the enemy’s wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.(C)
27 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it,
    and a stone will come back on the one who starts it rolling.(D)
28 A lying tongue hates its victims,
    and a flattering mouth works ruin.(E)

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21 To show partiality(A) is not good(B)
    yet a person will do wrong for a piece of bread.(C)

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21 To show partiality is not good,
    yet for a piece of bread a person may do wrong.

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Those who flatter their neighbors
    are spreading nets for their feet.(A)

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Whoever flatters a neighbor
    is spreading a net for the neighbor’s feet.

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