21 My son, (A)fear the Lord and the king;
Do not associate with those given to change;
22 For their calamity will rise suddenly,
And who knows the ruin those two can bring?

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21 Fear Yahweh, my son, and the king;
    with those who change, do not associate.
22 For suddenly their disaster will come,
    and the ruin of both of them,[a] who knows?

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 24:22 Literally “the two of them”

(A)It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,
But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

As the heavens for height and the earth for depth,
So the heart of kings is unsearchable.

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The glory of God[a] conceals things,
    but the glory of kings searches out things.
As heaven is to height and the earth is to depth,
    so is the heart[b] of kings—there is no searching.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 25:2 Or “gods”
  2. Proverbs 25:3 Or “mind”

(A)Take away the dross from silver,
And it will go to the silversmith for jewelry.
Take away the wicked from before the king,
And his throne will be established in (B)righteousness.

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Remove the dross from silver,
    and it will become a vessel for the smith.
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”

Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king,
And do not stand in the place of the great;
(A)For it is better that he say 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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Do not promote yourself before the king,
    and in the place of the great ones do not stand.
For it is better that he say to you, “Ascend here,”
    than he humble you before a noble.
What your eyes have seen,

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The king establishes the land by justice,
But he who receives bribes overthrows it.

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By justice a king gives stability to a land,
    but a man of bribes will ruin it.

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14 The king who judges the (A)poor with truth,
His throne will be established forever.

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14 A king who judges with truthfulness to the poor,
    his throne will be established forever.

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(A)It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
It is not for kings to drink wine,
Nor for princes intoxicating drink;
(B)Lest they drink and forget the law,
And pervert the justice of all [a]the afflicted.
(C)Give strong drink to him who is perishing,
And wine to those who are bitter of heart.
Let him drink and forget his poverty,
And remember his misery no more.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 31:5 Lit. sons of affliction

It is not for the kings, O Lemuel;
    drinking wine is not for the kings,
    nor is strong drink for rulers.
Or else he will drink and forget what has been decreed,
    and he will pervert the rights[a] of all the afflicted.[b]
Give strong drink to him who is perishing,
    and wine to those in bitter distress.[c]
He will drink and forget his poverty,
    and his misery he will not remember any more.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 31:5 Hebrew “right”
  2. Proverbs 31:5 Literally “sons of affliction”
  3. Proverbs 31:6 Literally “to bitterness of soul”