28 Loyalty and faithfulness deliver a king;
through loyalty he maintains his throne.

Read full chapter

28 Kindness and faithfulness protect the king;
    he supports his throne by kindness.

Read full chapter

A guilty man’s conduct is crooked,(A)
but the behavior of the innocent is upright.(B)

Read full chapter

The ways of some people are twisted and strange,
    but the behavior of those who do right is pure.

Read full chapter

29 A wicked man puts on a bold face,(A)
but the upright man considers his way.

Read full chapter

29 The wicked person appears brash,
    but the virtuous think about the path ahead.

Read full chapter

10 Drive out a mocker,(A) and conflict goes too;
then quarreling and dishonor will cease.(B)

11 The one who loves a pure heart
and gracious lips—the king is his friend.(C)

Read full chapter

10 Remove the mocker and conflict disappears;
    judgment and shame also stop.
11 Those who love a pure heart—
    their speech is gracious, and the king is their friend.

Read full chapter

23 When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
consider carefully what[a] is before you,
and put a knife to your throat
if you have a big[b] appetite;
don’t desire his choice food,(A)
for that food is deceptive.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:1 Or who
  2. Proverbs 23:2 Lit you are the master of an

23 When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
    carefully consider what is in front of you.
Place a knife at your throat
    to control your appetite.
Don’t long for the ruler’s delicacies;
    the food misleads.

Read full chapter

Don’t eat a stingy person’s bread,[a](A)
and don’t desire his choice food,(B)
for it’s like someone calculating inwardly.[b](C)
“Eat and drink,” he says to you,
but his heart is not with you.(D)
You will vomit the little you’ve eaten
and waste your pleasant words.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:6 Lit eat bread of an evil eye
  2. Proverbs 23:7 LXX reads it is like someone swallowing a hair in the throat

Don’t eat food with stingy people;
    don’t long for their delicacies,
    because they are like a hair in the throat.[a]
They say to you, “Eat and drink!”
    but they don’t mean it.
You will eat scraps and vomit them out.
    You will waste your pleasant words.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:7 LXX; Heb uncertain

Remove the wicked from the king’s presence,(A)
and his throne will be established in righteousness.(B)

Read full chapter

Remove the wicked from the king’s presence,
    and his throne will be established in righteousness.

Read full chapter

The one who sends a message by a fool’s hand(A)
cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.(B)

Read full chapter

Sending messages with a fool
    is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking down violence.

Read full chapter

10 The one who hires a fool or who hires those passing by
is like an archer who wounds everyone.

Read full chapter

10 Like an archer who wounds someone randomly,
    so is one who hires a fool or a passerby.

Read full chapter

24 A hateful person disguises himself with his speech
and harbors deceit within.
25 When he speaks graciously, don’t believe him,
for there are seven abominations in his heart.(A)
26 Though his hatred is concealed by deception,
his evil will be revealed in the assembly.
27 The one who digs a pit will fall into it,
and whoever rolls a stone—
it will come back on him.(B)
28 A lying tongue hates those it crushes,
and a flattering mouth causes ruin.

Read full chapter

24 Hateful people mislead with their lips,
    keeping their deception within.
25 Though they speak graciously, don’t believe them,
    for seven horrible things are in their heart.
26 They may cover their hatred with trickery,
    but their evil will be revealed in public.
27 Those who dig a pit will fall in it;
    those who roll a stone will have it turn back on them.
28 A lying tongue hates those it crushes;
    a flattering mouth causes destruction.

Read full chapter

21 It is not good to show partiality(A)
yet a man may sin for a piece of bread.(B)

Read full chapter

21 Those who show favoritism aren’t good;
    people do wrong for a crust of bread.

Read full chapter

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

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 29:5 Lit is smooth on

People who flatter their friends
    spread out a net for their feet.

Read full chapter