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21 My child, fear the Lord and the king.
Don’t associate with rebels,
22     for disaster will hit them suddenly.
Who knows what punishment will come
    from the Lord and the king?

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21 My son, (A)fear the Lord and the king,
    and do not join with those who do otherwise,
22 for disaster will arise suddenly from them,
    and who knows the ruin that will come from them both?

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It is God’s privilege to conceal things
    and the king’s privilege to discover them.

No one can comprehend the height of heaven, the depth of the earth,
    or all that goes on in the king’s mind!

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It is the glory of God to (A)conceal things,
    but the glory of kings is to (B)search things out.
As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth,
    so the heart of kings is (C)unsearchable.

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Remove the impurities from silver,
    and the sterling will be ready for the silversmith.
Remove the wicked from the king’s court,
    and his reign will be made secure by justice.

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Take away (A)the dross from the silver,
    and (B)the smith has material for a vessel;
take away (C)the wicked from the presence of the king,
    and his (D)throne will be established in righteousness.

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Don’t demand an audience with the king
    or push for a place among the great.
It’s better to wait for an invitation to the head table
    than to be sent away in public disgrace.

Just because you’ve seen something,

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Do not put yourself forward in the king's presence
    or stand in the place of the great,
for (A)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

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A just king gives stability to his nation,
    but one who demands bribes destroys it.

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By justice a king (A)builds up the land,
    but he who exacts gifts[a] tears it down.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 29:4 Or who taxes heavily

14 If a king judges the poor fairly,
    his throne will last forever.

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

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It is not for kings, O Lemuel, to guzzle wine.
    Rulers should not crave alcohol.
For if they drink, they may forget the law
    and not give justice to the oppressed.
Alcohol is for the dying,
    and wine for those in bitter distress.
Let them drink to forget their poverty
    and remember their troubles no more.

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(A)It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
    it is not for kings (B)to drink wine,
    or for rulers to take (C)strong drink,
lest they drink and forget what has been decreed
    and (D)pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
Give strong drink to the one who (E)is perishing,
    and wine to (F)those in bitter distress;[a]
(G)let them drink and forget their poverty
    and remember their misery no more.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 31:6 Hebrew those bitter in soul