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11 He who loves purity of heart and speaks gracefully
    is the king’s friend.

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11 One who loves (A)purity of heart
And [a]whose speech is (B)gracious, the king is his friend.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:11 Lit has grace on 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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On Life and Conduct

23 When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
Consider carefully [a]what is before you,
And put a knife to your throat
If you are a (A)person of great appetite.
Do not (B)desire his delicacies,
For it is deceptive food.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:1 Or who

21 My son, fear Yahweh and the king.
    Don’t join those who are rebellious;
22 for their calamity will rise suddenly.
    Who knows what destruction may come from them both?

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21 My son, [a](A)fear the Lord and the king;
Do not get involved with those [b]of high rank,
22 For their (B)disaster will rise suddenly,
And who knows the ruin that can come from both of them?

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 24:21 Or revere
  2. Proverbs 24:21 Or who change

It is the glory of God to conceal a thing,
    but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth,
    so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.
Take away the dross from the silver,
    and material comes out for the refiner;
Take away the wicked from the king’s presence,
    and his throne will be established in righteousness.
Don’t exalt yourself in the presence of the king,
    or claim a place among great men;
for it is better that it be said to you, “Come up here,”
    than that you should be put lower in the presence of the prince,
    whom your eyes have seen.

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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 [a](C)impurities 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 boast in the presence of the king,
And do not stand in the same place [b]as great people;
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 the prince,
Whom your eyes have seen.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 25:4 Lit dross
  2. Proverbs 25:6 Lit of

15 By patience a ruler is persuaded.
    A soft tongue breaks the bone.

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15 Through [a](A)patience a ruler may be persuaded,
And a gentle tongue breaks bone.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 25:15 Lit length of anger

In rebellion, a land has many rulers,
    but order is maintained by a man of understanding and knowledge.
A needy man who oppresses the poor
    is like a driving rain which leaves no crops.

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Due to a [a]wrongdoing of [b]a land its leaders are (A)many,
But (B)by a person of understanding and knowledge, so it endures.
A (C)poor man who oppresses the helpless
Is like a driving rain [c]which leaves no food.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 28:2 Or rebellion
  2. Proverbs 28:2 I.e., the people of a land
  3. Proverbs 28:3 Lit and there is no bread

15 As a roaring lion or a charging bear,
    so is a wicked ruler over helpless people.
16 A tyrannical ruler lacks judgment.
    One who hates ill-gotten gain will have long days.

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15 Like a (A)roaring lion and a rushing bear
Is a (B)wicked ruler over a poor people.
16 A (C)leader who is a great oppressor lacks understanding,
But a person who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.

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The king by justice makes the land stable,
    but he who takes bribes tears it down.

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The (A)king gives stability to the land by justice,
But a person who takes bribes ruins it.

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

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

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14 The king who fairly judges the poor,
    his throne shall be established forever.

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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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26 Many seek the ruler’s favor,
    but a man’s justice comes from Yahweh.

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26 (A)Many seek the ruler’s [a]favor,
But (B)justice for mankind comes from the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 29:26 Lit face