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23 Fervent[a] lips and an evil heart
are like a glaze[b] covering a clay pot.
24 With his lips a person hides his hatred,
but he hides deceit inside.
25 When his voice sounds gracious, do not believe him,
because seven abominations are in his heart.
26 His hatred covers itself with deceit,
but his evil will be revealed in the assembly.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 26:23 The translation follows the Hebrew. The Greek Old Testament reads smooth.
  2. Proverbs 26:23 The Hebrew text reads silver dross. Combining two Hebrew words into one word yields the translation glaze.

23 Like impure silver[a] which overlays an earthen vessel,
    so are smooth lips and an evil heart[b].
24 On his lips, an enemy will pretend,
    but inside[c] he will harbor deceit.
25 When he makes his voice gracious, do not believe him,
    for seven abominations are in his heart.
26 Though hatred is covered with guile,
    its evil will be exposed in the assembly.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 26:23 Literally “silver of impurities”
  2. Proverbs 26:23 Or “mind”
  3. Proverbs 26:24 Literally “in his midst”

Those who abandon the law[a] praise the wicked,
but those who keep the law oppose them.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 28:4 Or instruction or teaching

Those who forsake instruction will praise the wicked,
    but they who guard instruction will struggle against them.

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A righteous person acknowledges the rights of the poor,
but a wicked person does not understand such knowledge.

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The righteous knows the case of the poor,
    but the wicked does not understand knowledge.

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

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12 A ruler listening to a word of falsehood,
    all his officials are wicked.

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