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28 Love and faithfulness keep the king safe.
    His throne is sustained by love.

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28 Loyalty and faithfulness will preserve a king,
    and he is upheld with the righteousness of his throne.

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

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Crooked is the way of a man and a foreigner,
    but the pure is upright in his conduct.

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29 A wicked man hardens his face;
    but as for the upright, he establishes his ways.

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29 A wicked man is strong in his countenance,[a]
    but the upright will appoint his paths.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 21:29 Literally “his face”

10 Drive out the mocker, and strife will go out;
    yes, quarrels and insults will stop.
11 He who loves purity of heart and speaks gracefully
    is the king’s friend.

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10 Drive out a scoffer and strife will go out;
    quarrel and abuse will cease.
11 He who loves purity of heart
    and hasgracious speech,[a] his friend is the king.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:11 Literally “grace of his lips”

23 When you sit to eat with a ruler,
    consider diligently what is before you;
put a knife to your throat,
    if you are a man given to appetite.
Don’t be desirous of his dainties,
    since they are deceitful food.

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23 When you sit to eat with a ruler,
    you shall surely observe what is before you,
and you shall put a knife to your throat
    if you have a big appetite.[a]
Do not desire his delicacies,
    for[b] it is food of deception.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:2 Literally “lord/master of life”
  2. Proverbs 23:3 Hebrew “and”

Don’t eat the food of him who has a stingy eye,
    and don’t crave his delicacies:
    for as he thinks about the cost, so he is.
    “Eat and drink!” he says to you,
    but his heart is not with you.
The morsel which you have eaten you shall vomit up,
    and lose your good words.

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Do not eat the bread of the stingy,[a]
    and do not desire his delicacies.
For, like hair in his throat,[b] so it is.[c]
    “Eat and drink!” he will say to you,
    but his heart will not be with you.
Your morsel you have eaten, you will vomit it up,
    and you will waste your pleasant words.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:6 Literally “stingy of eye”
  2. Proverbs 23:7 Literally “soul,” or “inner self”
  3. Proverbs 23:7 Or “is he”

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

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Remove the wicked before a king,
    and his throne will be established in righteousness.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 25:5 Hebrew “in the righteousness”

One who sends a message by the hand of a fool
    is cutting off feet and drinking violence.

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Like cutting off feet or drinking violence,
    so is he who sends messages in the hand of a fool.

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10 As an archer who wounds all,
    so is he who hires a fool
    or he who hires those who pass by.

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10 Like an archer who wounds everyone,
    so is he who hires a fool or he who hires passersby.

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24 A malicious man disguises himself with his lips,
    but he harbors evil in his heart.
25 When his speech is charming, don’t believe him,
    for there are seven abominations in his heart.
26 His malice may be concealed by deception,
    but his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
27 Whoever digs a pit shall fall into it.
    Whoever rolls a stone, it will come back on him.
28 A lying tongue hates those it hurts;
    and a flattering mouth works ruin.

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24 On his lips, an enemy will pretend,
    but inside[a] he will harbor deceit.
25 When he makes his voice gracious, do not believe him,
    for seven abominations are in his heart.
26 Though hatred is covered with guile,
    its evil will be exposed in the assembly.
27 He who digs a pit, in it he will fall,
    and he who rolls a stone, on him it will come back.
28 A tongue of deceit hates its victim,
    and a flattering mouth makes ruin.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 26:24 Literally “in his midst”

21 To show partiality is not good;
    yet a man will do wrong for a piece of bread.

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21 Showing partiality[a] is not good,
    and over a morsel of bread, a strong man will do wrong.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 28:21 Literally “Recognizing faces”

A man who flatters his neighbor
    spreads a net for his feet.

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A strong man who flatters his neighbor
    is spreading a net for his feet.

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