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11 He who loves (A)purity of heart
And (B)grace on his lips, the king is his friend.

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

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The Fear of Yahweh

23 When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
Understand well [a]what is before you,
So you should put a knife to your throat
If you are a (A)man of appetite.
Do not (B)desire his delicacies,
For it is bread of falsehood.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:1 Or who

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

21 My son, [a](A)fear Yahweh and the king;
Do not associate with those who change,
22 For suddenly their (B)disaster will rise,
And who knows the upheaval that comes from both of them?

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 24:21 Or reverence

Saying 30

21 Fear the Lord and the king,(A) my son,
    and do not join with rebellious officials,
22 for those two will send sudden destruction(B) on them,
    and who knows what calamities they can bring?

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It is the glory of God to (A)conceal a matter,
But the glory of (B)kings is to search out a matter.
As the heavens for height and the earth for depth,
So the heart of kings is unsearchable.
Take away the (C)dross from the silver,
And there comes out a vessel for the (D)smith;
Take away the (E)wicked before the king,
And his (F)throne will be established in righteousness.
Do not promote your majesty in the presence of the king,
And in the place of great men do not stand;
For (G)it is better that it be said to you, “Come up here,”
Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of a noble,
Whom your eyes have seen.

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It is the glory of God to conceal a matter;
    to search out a matter is the glory of kings.(A)
As the heavens are high and the earth is deep,
    so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.

Remove the dross from the silver,
    and a silversmith can produce a vessel;
remove wicked officials from the king’s presence,(B)
    and his throne will be established(C) through righteousness.(D)

Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence,
    and do not claim a place among his great men;
it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here,”(E)
    than for him to humiliate you before his nobles.

What you have seen with your eyes

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15 (A)When one is slow to anger, a ruler may be persuaded,
And a soft tongue breaks the bone.

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15 Through patience a ruler can be persuaded,(A)
    and a gentle tongue can break a bone.(B)

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By the transgression of a land (A)many are its princes,
But (B)by a man who understands, who knows, so it endures.
A (C)poor man who oppresses the lowly
Is a driving rain [a]which leaves no food.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 28:3 Lit and there is no bread

When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers,
    but a ruler with discernment and knowledge maintains order.

A ruler[a] who oppresses the poor
    is like a driving rain that leaves no crops.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 28:3 Or A poor person

15 Like a (A)roaring lion and a rushing bear
Is a (B)wicked ruler over a poor people.
16 A (C)leader who lacks discernment abounds in oppressions,
But he who hates greedy gain will prolong his days.

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15 Like a roaring lion or a charging bear
    is a wicked ruler over a helpless people.

16 A tyrannical ruler practices extortion,
    but one who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long reign.

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By justice the (A)king causes the land to stand,
But a man of bribes tears it down.

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By justice a king gives a country stability,(A)
    but those who are greedy for[a] bribes tear it down.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 29:4 Or who give

12 If a (A)ruler pays attention to a lying word,
All his ministers become wicked.

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12 If a ruler(A) listens to lies,
    all his officials become wicked.(B)

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14 If a (A)king judges the poor with truth,
His (B)throne will be established forever.

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14 If a king judges the poor with fairness,
    his throne will be established forever.(A)

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26 (A)Many seek the face of a ruler,
But (B)justice for man comes from Yahweh.

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26 Many seek an audience with a ruler,(A)
    but it is from the Lord that one gets justice.(B)

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