28 (A)Steadfast love and faithfulness preserve the king,
    and by steadfast love his (B)throne is upheld.

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28 Love and faithfulness keep a king safe;
    through love(A) his throne is made secure.(B)

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The way of the guilty (A)is crooked,
    but the conduct of the pure is upright.

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The way of the guilty is devious,(A)
    but the conduct of the innocent is upright.

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29 A wicked man puts on a bold face,
    but the upright (A)gives thought to[a] his ways.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 21:29 Or establishes

29 The wicked put up a bold front,
    but the upright give thought to their ways.(A)

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10 (A)Drive out a scoffer, (B)and strife will go out,
    and (C)quarreling and abuse will cease.
11 He who (D)loves purity of heart,
    and whose (E)speech is gracious, (F)will have the king as his friend.

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10 Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife;
    quarrels and insults are ended.(A)

11 One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace
    will have the king for a friend.(B)

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23 When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
    observe carefully what[a] is before you,
and put a knife to your throat
    if you are given to appetite.
(A)Do not desire his delicacies,
    for they are deceptive food.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:1 Or who

Saying 7

23 When you sit to dine with a ruler,
    note well what[a] is before you,
and put a knife to your throat
    if you are given to gluttony.
Do not crave his delicacies,(A)
    for that food is deceptive.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:1 Or who

(A)Do not eat the bread of a man who is (B)stingy;[a]
    (C)do not desire his delicacies,
for he is like one who is inwardly calculating.[b]
    “Eat and drink!” he says to you,
    but his (D)heart is not with you.
You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten,
    and waste your pleasant words.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:6 Hebrew whose eye is evil
  2. Proverbs 23:7 Or for as he calculates in his soul, so is he

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

take away (A)the wicked from the presence of the king,
    and his (B)throne will be established in righteousness.

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remove wicked officials from the king’s presence,(A)
    and his throne will be established(B) through righteousness.(C)

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Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool
    cuts off his own feet and (A)drinks violence.

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Sending a message by the hands of a fool(A)
    is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison.

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10 Like an archer who wounds everyone
    is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 26:10 Or hires a fool or passersby

10 Like an archer who wounds at random
    is one who hires a fool or any passer-by.

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24 Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips
    and harbors deceit in his heart;
25 (A)when he speaks graciously, believe him not,
    for there are (B)seven abominations in his heart;
26 though his hatred be covered with deception,
    his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
27 (C)Whoever digs a pit will fall into it,
    and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.
28 A lying tongue hates its victims,
    and a flattering mouth works ruin.

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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.
27 Whoever digs a pit(E) will fall into it;(F)
    if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them.(G)
28 A lying tongue hates those it hurts,
    and a flattering mouth(H) works ruin.

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21 To show (A)partiality is not good,
    but for (B)a piece of bread a man will do wrong.

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21 To show partiality(A) is not good(B)
    yet a person will do wrong for a piece of bread.(C)

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(A)A man who flatters his neighbor
    spreads (B)a net for his feet.

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Those who flatter their neighbors
    are spreading nets for their feet.(A)

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