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23 Like silver dross on an earthen vessel
    are the lips of a fervent one with an evil heart.
24 A malicious man disguises himself with his lips,
    but he harbors evil in his heart.
25 When his speech is charming, don’t believe him,
    for there are seven abominations in his heart.
26 His malice may be concealed by deception,
    but his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.

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23 Smooth[a] words may hide a wicked heart,
    just as a pretty glaze covers a clay pot.

24 People may cover their hatred with pleasant words,
    but they’re deceiving you.
25 They pretend to be kind, but don’t believe them.
    Their hearts are full of many evils.[b]
26 While their hatred may be concealed by trickery,
    their wrongdoing will be exposed in public.

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Footnotes

  1. 26:23 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads Burning.
  2. 26:25 Hebrew seven evils.

Those who forsake the law praise the wicked;
    but those who keep the law contend with them.

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To reject the law is to praise the wicked;
    to obey the law is to fight them.

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The righteous care about justice for the poor.
    The wicked aren’t concerned about knowledge.

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The godly care about the rights of the poor;
    the wicked don’t care at all.

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

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12 If a ruler pays attention to liars,
    all his advisers will be wicked.

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