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12 A worthless person, a man of iniquity,
    is he who walks with a perverse mouth,
13 who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet,
    who motions with his fingers,
14 in whose heart is perverseness,
    who devises evil continually,
    who always sows discord.
15 Therefore his calamity will come suddenly.
    He will be broken suddenly, and that without remedy.

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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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10 One winking with the eye causes sorrow,
    but a chattering fool will fall.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a spring of life,
    but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.

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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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The integrity of the upright shall guide them,
    but the perverseness of the treacherous shall destroy them.

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

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30 One who winks his eyes to plot perversities,
    one who compresses his lips, is bent on evil.

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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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14 “It’s no good, it’s no good,” says the buyer;
    but when he is gone his way, then he boasts.

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

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Don’t eat the food of him who has a stingy eye,
    and don’t crave his delicacies:
    for as he thinks about the cost, so he is.
    “Eat and drink!” he says to you,
    but his heart is not with you.
The morsel which you have eaten you shall vomit up,
    and lose your good words.

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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

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 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