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28 Loyalty and ·truth [faithfulness] ·keep a king in power [protect a king];
he ·continues to rule [supports his throne] if he is loyal.

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28 [a]Loyalty and (A)truth watch over the king,
And he upholds his throne by [b]loyalty.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 20:28 I.e., covenant loyalty
  2. Proverbs 20:28 I.e., covenant loyalty

Guilty people live dishonest lives,
but ·honest people do right [virtuous people are pure].

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The way of a guilty person is (A)crooked,
But as for the pure, his conduct is upright.

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29 Wicked people ·are stubborn [L put on a bold/impudent face],
but ·good people think carefully about what they do [L the virtuous establish their path].

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29 A wicked person [a](A)displays a bold face,
But as for the (B)upright, he makes his way sure.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 21:29 Lit makes firm with his face

10 ·Get rid of [Banish; Drive out] the ·one who makes fun of wisdom [mocker].
Then ·fighting [conflict], ·quarrels [judgments], and ·insults [shame] will stop.

11 Whoever loves pure ·thoughts [L hearts] and kind ·words [L lips]
will have even the king as a friend.

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10 (A)Drive out the scoffer, and strife will leave,
Even quarreling and dishonor will cease.
11 One who loves (B)purity of heart
And [a]whose speech is (C)gracious, the king is his friend.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:11 Lit has grace on his lips

23 ·If [or When] you sit down to eat with a ruler,
    notice ·the food that [L what] is in front of you.
·Control yourself [L Place a knife at your throat]
    ·if you have a big [or to control your] appetite.
Don’t ·be greedy [long] for his fine foods,
    because that food might be ·a trick [false; deceptive].

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On Life and Conduct

23 When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
Consider carefully [a]what is before you,
And put a knife to your throat
If you are a (A)person of great appetite.
Do not (B)desire his delicacies,
For it is deceptive food.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:1 Or who

Don’t eat the food of ·selfish [stingy; L evil eye] people;
    don’t ·be greedy [long] for their ·fine foods [delicacies].
·Selfish people are always worrying
    about how much the food costs [L They calculate in their minds; or They are like a hair in the throat].
They tell you, “Eat and drink,”
    but ·they don’t really mean it [L their heart is not with you].
You will ·throw up [vomit] the ·little [L crust] you have eaten,
    and you will have wasted your ·kind [pleasant] words.

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(A)Do not eat the bread of [a]a (B)selfish person;
Or desire his delicacies;
For as he [b]thinks within himself, so he is.
He says to you, “Eat and drink!”
But (C)his heart is not with you.
You will (D)vomit up [c]the morsel you have eaten
And waste your [d]compliments.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:6 Lit an evil eye
  2. Proverbs 23:7 Lit reckons in his soul
  3. Proverbs 23:8 Lit your
  4. Proverbs 23:8 Lit pleasant words

·Remove [Separate] wicked people from the king’s presence;
    then his ·government [L throne] will be ·honest and last a long time [L established in righteousness].

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Take away the (A)wicked before the king,
And his (B)throne will be established in righteousness.

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Sending a message by a foolish person
is like cutting off your feet or drinking ·poison [L violence].

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One who sends a message by the hand of a fool
Chops off his own feet and drinks violence.

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10 Hiring a foolish person or anyone just passing by
is like an archer shooting ·at just anything [randomly].

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10 [a]Like an archer who wounds everyone,
So is one who hires a fool or hires those who pass by.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 26:10 Or A master workman produces all things, But one who hires a fool is like one who hires those who pass by

24 Those who hate you may try to ·fool [trick] you with their ·words [L lips],
    but ·in their minds [inside] they ·are planning evil [L set deception].
25 People’s ·words [L voice] may be ·kind [gracious], but don’t believe them,
    because ·their minds are full of evil thoughts [L seven abominations are in their heart; C seven is the number of completion].
26 ·Lies [Trickery; Guile] can ·hide [cover] hate,
    but the evil will be ·plain to everyone [L revealed in the assembly].

27 Whoever digs a pit for others will fall into it.
Whoever tries to roll a boulder down on others will ·be crushed by it [L have it turn back on them].

28 ·Liars [L Lying tongues] hate the people they ·hurt [crush],
and ·false praise [L a flattering tongue] can ruin others.

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24 One who (A)hates disguises it with his lips,
But he harbors (B)deceit in his [a]heart.
25 When [b]he (C)speaks graciously, do not believe him,
Because there are seven abominations in his heart.
26 Though his hatred (D)covers itself with deception,
His wickedness will be (E)revealed in the assembly.
27 One who (F)digs a pit will fall into it,
And one who rolls a stone, it will come back on him.
28 A lying tongue hates [c]those it crushes,
And a (G)flattering mouth works ruin.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 26:24 Lit inward part
  2. Proverbs 26:25 Lit his voice is gracious
  3. Proverbs 26:28 Lit its crushed ones

21 It is not good ·for a judge to take sides [to show favoritism/partiality; L to recognize faces],
but some will ·sin [transgress; do wrong] for only a piece of bread.

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

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 28:21 Lit regard the face

Those who give false praise to their ·neighbors [or friends]
are setting a ·trap for them [trap/net for their feet].

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A man who (A)flatters his neighbor
Is spreading a net for his steps.

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