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10 A rebuke strikes him who understands
    deeper than one hundred blows to a fool.
11 An evil person will seek only rebellion,
    and a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

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10 (A)Rebuke is more effective for a wise man
Than a hundred blows on a fool.

11 An evil man seeks only rebellion;
Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

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20 Listen to advice and accept instruction
    so that you will gain wisdom for your future.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 19:20 Literally “after things

20 Listen to counsel and receive instruction,
That you may be wise (A)in your latter days.

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27 Cease to listen to instruction, my child,
    and you will stray[a] from sayings of knowledge.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 19:27 Literally “in order to stray”

27 Cease listening to instruction, my son,
And you will stray from the words of knowledge.

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Roaring like the lion is the dreaded anger of a king;
    he who provokes him forfeits his life.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 20:2 Or “soul,” or “inner self”

The [a]wrath of a king is like the roaring of a lion;
Whoever provokes him to anger sins against his own life.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 20:2 Lit. fear or terror, produced by the king’s wrath

Many a person will proclaim his loyalty for himself,
    but a man who is trustworthy, who can find?

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Most men will proclaim each his own [a]goodness,
But who can find a faithful man?

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 20:6 Lit. mercy

A king who sits on the throne of judgment
    winnows all evil with his eyes.

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A king who sits on the throne of judgment
Scatters all evil with his eyes.

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11 Even by his acts, a young man[a] will make himself known,
    whether his acts are pure and upright.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 20:11 Or “young boy,” or “adolescent”

11 Even a child is (A)known by his deeds,
Whether what he does is pure and right.

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30 The blows of a wound will cleanse evil,
    as will[a] beatings of the innermost part.[b]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 20:30 Hebrew “and”
  2. Proverbs 20:30 Literally “parts of the inmost”

30 Blows that hurt cleanse away evil,
As do stripes the [a]inner depths of the heart.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 20:30 Lit. rooms of the belly

21 Streams of water are the heart[a] of a king in the hand of Yahweh;
    wherever[b] he will desire, he will turn.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 21:1 Or “mind”
  2. Proverbs 21:1 Literally “upon all that”

The Lord Considers the Heart

21 The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord,
Like the [a]rivers of water;
He turns it wherever He wishes.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 21:1 channels

11 He who loves purity of heart
    and hasgracious speech,[a] his friend is the king.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:11 Literally “grace of his lips”

11 (A)He who loves purity of heart
And has grace on his lips,
The king will be his friend.

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The glory of God[a] conceals things,
    but the glory of kings searches out things.
As heaven is to height and the earth is to depth,
    so is the heart[b] of kings—there is no searching.
Remove the dross from silver,
    and it will become a vessel for the smith.
Remove the wicked before a king,
    and his throne will be established in righteousness.[c]
Do not promote yourself before the king,
    and in the place of the great ones do not stand.
For it is better that he say to you, “Ascend here,”
    than he humble you before a noble.
What your eyes have seen,

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 25:2 Or “gods”
  2. Proverbs 25:3 Or “mind”
  3. Proverbs 25:5 Hebrew “in the righteousness”

(A)It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,
But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

As the heavens for height and the earth for depth,
So the heart of kings is unsearchable.

(B)Take away the dross from silver,
And it will go to the silversmith for jewelry.
Take away the wicked from before the king,
And his throne will be established in (C)righteousness.

Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king,
And do not stand in the place of the great;
(D)For it is better that he say to you,
“Come up here,”
Than that you should be put lower in the presence of the prince,
Whom your eyes have seen.

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18 He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,
    and he who guards his master[a] will be honored.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 27:18 Or “lord”

18 (A)Whoever [a]keeps the fig tree will eat its fruit;
So he who waits on his master will be honored.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 27:18 protects or tends