²⁸ A king’s splendor is in his many people,
    but a declining population will lead to his ruin.

³⁵ The king shows kindness to a servant who acts wisely,
    but his anger burns toward one who brings shame.

¹⁰ The king makes a decision under divine inspiration,
    but he must never render an unfair judgment.

¹² When kings commit evil, it is despicable,
    because their thrones should be built on justice.
¹³ Kings admire those who tell the truth;
    they adore those who set the record straight.
¹⁴ A king’s rage signals that people will die,
    but whoever is wise will pacify him.
¹⁵ If a king is smiling brightly, life will be granted;
    his favor is like a cloud swelled with the first spring rain.

⁷ Elegant speech sounds odd when it comes from a fool,
    and a lie on the lips of a leader is even more out of place!

¹¹ Evil people are determined to rebel,
    and so a merciless messenger will chase them down.

¹² A king’s rage is like the thunderous roar of a lion,
    but his favor is like a cooling mist upon the grass.

² A king’s wrath strikes fear like a lion’s roar;
    those who provoke him to anger sentence themselves to death.

⁸ When a king sits on his throne as judge,
    he ferrets out all evil and scatters it with his royal stare.

²⁶ A wise king weeds out the wrongdoers,
    then drives over them with his threshing wheel of justice.