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

28 Unfailing love and faithfulness protect the king;
    his throne is made secure through love.

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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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The guilty walk a crooked path;
    the innocent travel a straight road.

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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

29 The wicked bluff their way through,
    but the virtuous think before they act.

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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

10 Throw out the mocker, and fighting goes, too.
    Quarrels and insults will disappear.

11 Whoever loves a pure heart and gracious speech
    will have the king as a friend.

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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

23 While dining with a ruler,
    pay attention to what is put before you.
If you are a big eater,
    put a knife to your throat;
don’t desire all the delicacies,
    for he might be trying to trick you.

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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

Don’t eat with people who are stingy;
    don’t desire their delicacies.
They are always thinking about how much it costs.[a]
    “Eat and drink,” they say, but they don’t mean it.
You will throw up what little you’ve eaten,
    and your compliments will be wasted.

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Footnotes

  1. 23:7 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.

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

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Remove the wicked from the king’s court,
    and his reign will be made secure by justice.

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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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Trusting a fool to convey a message
    is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison!

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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

10 An employer who hires a fool or a bystander
    is like an archer who shoots at random.

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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

24 People may cover their hatred with pleasant words,
    but they’re deceiving you.
25 They pretend to be kind, but don’t believe them.
    Their hearts are full of many evils.[a]
26 While their hatred may be concealed by trickery,
    their wrongdoing will be exposed in public.

27 If you set a trap for others,
    you will get caught in it yourself.
If you roll a boulder down on others,
    it will crush you instead.

28 A lying tongue hates its victims,
    and flattering words cause ruin.

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Footnotes

  1. 26:25 Hebrew seven evils.

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

21 Showing partiality is never good,
    yet some will do wrong for a mere piece of bread.

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

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To flatter friends
    is to lay a trap for their feet.

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