12 A troublemaker and a villain,
    who goes about with a corrupt mouth,
13     who winks maliciously with his eye,(A)
    signals with his feet
    and motions with his fingers,(B)
14     who plots evil(C) with deceit in his heart—
    he always stirs up conflict.(D)
15 Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant;(E)
    he will suddenly(F) be destroyed—without remedy.(G)

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The Folly of Causing Strife

12 A worthless man, a wicked man,
    goes around with devious speech,
13 winking with his eyes, making signs[a] with[b] his feet,
    pointing with his fingers,
14 planning evil with a perverse mind,[c]
    continually stirring up discord.
15 Therefore, disaster will overtake him suddenly.
    He will be broken in an instant,
        and he will never recover.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 6:13 Lit. scraping
  2. Proverbs 6:13 The Heb. lacks with
  3. Proverbs 6:14 Or heart

10 Whoever winks maliciously(A) causes grief,
    and a chattering fool comes to ruin.

11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,(B)
    but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.(C)

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10 Those who wink their eyes[a] are trouble makers,
    and the mocking fool will be brought down.[b]

11 What the righteous say[c] is a flowing fountain,[d]
    but what the wicked say[e] conceals violence.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:10 I.e. Those whose looks communicate insincerity
  2. Proverbs 10:10 So MT; LXX reads makers, but the one who reproves publicly makes peace
  3. Proverbs 10:11 Lit. The mouth of the righteous
  4. Proverbs 10:11 Lit. a fountain of life
  5. Proverbs 10:11 Lit. but the mouth of the wicked

The integrity of the upright guides them,
    but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.(A)

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The integrity of the righteous guides them,
    but the hypocrisy of the treacherous destroys them.

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30 Whoever winks(A) with their eye is plotting perversity;
    whoever purses their lips is bent on evil.

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30 Whoever winks knowingly[a] is plotting[b] deceit;
    anyone who purses his lips is bent towards evil.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 16:30 Lit. with his eyes
  2. Proverbs 16:30 So MT; LXX Syr Targ Vg read winks with his eyes considers

14 “It’s no good, it’s no good!” says the buyer—
    then goes off and boasts about the purchase.

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14 “This is bad, bad,” says whoever is buying—
    but then he brags as he walks away after the sale.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 20:14 The Heb. lacks after the sale

Saying 9

Do not eat the food of a begrudging host,
    do not crave his delicacies;(A)
for he is the kind of person
    who is always thinking about the cost.[a]
“Eat and drink,” he says to you,
    but his heart is not with you.
You will vomit up the little you have eaten
    and will have wasted your compliments.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:7 Or for as he thinks within himself, / so he is; or for as he puts on a feast, / so he is

Don’t consume food provided by a miserly[a] person,
    and don’t desire his delicacies,
for as he thinks within himself, so he is.
    “Eat and drink!” he’ll say to you,
        but his heart won’t be with you.
You’ll vomit up what little you’ve eaten,
    and your compliments will have been wasted.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:6 Lit. by the evil eyed

23 Like a coating of silver dross on earthenware
    are fervent[a] lips with an evil heart.
24 Enemies disguise themselves with their lips,(A)
    but in their hearts they harbor deceit.(B)
25 Though their speech is charming,(C) do not believe them,
    for seven abominations fill their hearts.(D)
26 Their malice may be concealed by deception,
    but their wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 26:23 Hebrew; Septuagint smooth

23 A clay vessel plated with a thin veneer of silver—
    that’s what smooth[a] lips with a wicked heart are.
24 Someone who hates hides behind his words,
    harboring deceit within himself.
25 Though he speaks graciously, don’t believe him,
    for there are seven detestable things in his heart.
26 Though malice disguises itself with deception,
    its evil will be exposed publicly.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 26:23 So LXX; MT reads burning