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11 Those who love a pure heart and are gracious in speech
    will have the king as a friend.(A)

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11 A person who loves a pure heart and whose lips are gracious
    will have a king as his friend.

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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

23 When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
pay close attention to what is put in front of you,
and put a knife to your throat if you have a big appetite.
Do not crave his delicious food.
That food is deceptive.

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21 My child, fear the Lord and the king,
    and do not disobey either of them,[a](A)
22 for disaster comes from them suddenly,
    and who knows the ruin that both can bring?

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Footnotes

  1. 24.21 Gk: Heb do not associate with those who change

21 Fear the Lord, my son, and also the king.
Do not associate with those who are rebellious,
22 because their disaster will take place suddenly.
Who knows what ruin the Lord and the king will cause?

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It is the glory of God to conceal things,
    but the glory of kings is to search things out.(A)
Like the heavens for height, like the earth for depth,
    so the mind of kings is unsearchable.
Take away the dross from the silver,
    and the smith has material for a vessel;(B)
take away the wicked from the presence of the king,
    and his throne will be established in righteousness.(C)
Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence
    or stand in the place of the great,
for it is better to be told, “Come up here,”
    than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.

What your eyes have seen(D)

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It brings glory to God to hide a matter,
but it brings glory to kings to investigate a matter.
As heaven is high and earth is deep,
so there is no searching the heart of kings.

Remove impurities from silver,
and a vessel can be cast by a silversmith.
Remove a wicked person from a king’s presence,
and his throne will be established with righteousness.

Do not honor yourself in a king’s presence.
Do not stand in a place reserved for great people,
because it is better to be told, “Come up here,”
than for you to be humiliated before a ruler
    whom your eyes have seen.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 25:7 Many translations associate this line with verse 8: What you have seen with your eye do not bring quickly into court. Manuscript evidence supports a connection with verse 7, but sense seems to favor including it with verse 8.

15 With patience a ruler may be persuaded,
    and a soft tongue can break bones.(A)

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15 By patience a ruler can be persuaded,
and a soft tongue can break a bone.

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When a land rebels
    it has many rulers;
but with an intelligent[a] person, honesty endures.(A)
A poor person who oppresses the poor
    is a beating rain that leaves no food.(B)

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Footnotes

  1. 28.2 Heb intelligent knowledgeable

A rebellious land has many rulers,
but one man with understanding and knowledge provides stability.
A poor man who oppresses the poor
    is a driving rain that leaves no food.

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15 Like a roaring lion or a charging bear
    is a wicked ruler over a poor people.(A)
16 A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor,
    but one who hates unjust gain will enjoy a long life.

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15 A wicked ruler over a poor people
    is a growling lion or a charging bear.
16 When a ruler lacks understanding, there will be much oppression,
but one who hates ill-gotten gain prolongs his days.

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By justice a king gives stability to the land,
    but one who makes heavy exactions ruins it.

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A king brings stability to a land by justice,
but one who accepts bribes tears it down.

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12 If a ruler listens to falsehood,
    all his officials will be wicked.

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12 If a ruler listens to lies,
all his officials become wicked.

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

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14 If a king judges poor people with truth,
his throne will be established permanently.

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26 Many seek the favor of a ruler,
    but it is from the Lord that one gets justice.(A)

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26 Many people seek a ruler’s favor,
but a person gets justice from the Lord.

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