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29 Don’t say, “·I’ll get even [L As they did to me so I will do to them];
    I’ll ·do to him what he did to me [repay them according to their actions].”

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29 
Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me;
I will pay the man back for his deed.”(A)

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21 If ·your enemy [L one you hate] is hungry, feed him.
    If he is thirsty, give him a drink.
22 Doing this will be like pouring burning coals on his head,
    and the Lord will reward you [Rom. 12:19–21].

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21 
If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat;
And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;(A)
22 
For in doing so, you will [a]heap coals of fire upon his head,
And the Lord will reward you.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 25:22 This expression may refer to an Egyptian custom in which a penitent man carried a pan of coals on his head as a sign of repentance. The message of these verses is the admonition to return good for evil in the hope that your enemy will be moved to repentance.

28 Those who ·do not control themselves [are unrestrained in spirit]
are like a city whose walls are broken down.

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28 
Like a city that is broken down and without walls [leaving it unprotected]
Is a man who has no self-control over his spirit [and sets himself up for trouble].(A)

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Anger is cruel and destroys like a flood,
but no one can ·put up with [L stand in the face of] jealousy!

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Wrath is cruel and anger is an overwhelming flood,
But who is able to endure and stand before [the sin of] jealousy?

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·People who make fun of wisdom [Mockers] ·cause trouble in [L inflame] a city,
but wise people ·calm anger down [L turn back anger].

When a wise person ·takes a foolish person to court [or debates/disputes a fool],
the fool only shouts or laughs, and there is no ·peace [rest].

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Scoffers set a city afire [by stirring up trouble],
But wise men turn away anger [and restore order with their good judgment].

If a wise man has a controversy with a foolish and arrogant man,
The foolish man [ignores logic and fairness and] only rages or laughs, and there is no peace (rest, agreement).

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11 Foolish people ·lose their tempers [or let nothing go unexpressed; L let all their spirit out],
but wise people ·control theirs [quiet things down afterward].

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11 
A [shortsighted] fool always loses his temper and displays his anger,
But a wise man [uses self-control and] holds it back.

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22 An angry person ·causes trouble [stirs up conflict];
a person with ·a quick temper [wrath] sins a lot.

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22 
An angry man stirs up strife,
And a hot-tempered and undisciplined man commits many transgressions.

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32 “If you have been foolish and proud,
    or if you have planned evil, ·shut [L put your hand to] your mouth [Job 40:2].
33 Just as ·stirring [L pressing] milk makes ·butter [curds],
    and ·twisting [L pressing] noses makes ·them bleed [blood],
so ·stirring up [L pressing] anger ·causes trouble [leads to accusations].”

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32 
If you have foolishly exalted yourself,
Or if you have plotted evil, put your hand on your mouth.(A)
33 
Surely the churning of milk produces butter,
And wringing the nose produces blood;
So the churning of anger produces strife.

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