Proverbs 20:28
New Living Translation
28 Unfailing love and faithfulness protect the king;
his throne is made secure through love.
Proverbs 20:28
Living Bible
28 If a king is kind, honest, and fair, his kingdom stands secure.
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Proverbs 21:8
New Living Translation
8 The guilty walk a crooked path;
the innocent travel a straight road.
Proverbs 21:8
Living Bible
8 A man is known by his actions.[a] An evil man lives an evil life; a good man lives a godly life.
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- Proverbs 21:8 A man is known by his actions, implied.
Proverbs 21:29
New Living Translation
29 The wicked bluff their way through,
but the virtuous think before they act.
Proverbs 21:29
Living Bible
29 An evil man is stubborn, but a godly man will reconsider.[a]
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- Proverbs 21:29 An evil man is stubborn, but a godly man will reconsider, or “The wicked man is brazen; the godly man is thoughtful.”
Proverbs 22:10-11
New Living Translation
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.
Proverbs 22:10-11
Living Bible
10 Throw out the mocker, and you will be rid of tension, fighting, and quarrels.
11 He who values grace and truth is the king’s friend.
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Proverbs 23:1-3
New Living Translation
23 While dining with a ruler,
pay attention to what is put before you.
2 If you are a big eater,
put a knife to your throat;
3 don’t desire all the delicacies,
for he might be trying to trick you.
Proverbs 23:1-3
Living Bible
23 1-3 When dining with a rich man,[a] be on your guard and don’t stuff yourself, though it all tastes so good; for he is trying to bribe you, and no good is going to come of his invitation.
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- Proverbs 23:1 a rich man, literally, “a ruler.”
Proverbs 23:6-8
New Living Translation
6 Don’t eat with people who are stingy;
don’t desire their delicacies.
7 They are always thinking about how much it costs.[a]
“Eat and drink,” they say, but they don’t mean it.
8 You will throw up what little you’ve eaten,
and your compliments will be wasted.
Footnotes
- 23:7 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
Proverbs 23:6-8
Living Bible
6-8 Don’t associate with evil men; don’t long for their favors and gifts. Their kindness is a trick; they want to use you as their pawn. The delicious food they serve will turn sour in your stomach, and you will vomit it and have to take back your words of appreciation for their “kindness.”
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Proverbs 25:5
New Living Translation
5 Remove the wicked from the king’s court,
and his reign will be made secure by justice.
Proverbs 25:5
Living Bible
4-5 When you remove dross from silver, you have sterling ready for the silversmith. When you remove corrupt men from the king’s court, his reign will be just and fair.
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Proverbs 26:6
New Living Translation
6 Trusting a fool to convey a message
is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison!
Proverbs 26:6
Living Bible
6 To trust a rebel to convey a message is as foolish as cutting off your feet and drinking poison!
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Proverbs 26:10
New Living Translation
10 An employer who hires a fool or a bystander
is like an archer who shoots at random.
Proverbs 26:10
Living Bible
10 The master may get better work from an untrained apprentice than from a skilled rebel!
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Proverbs 26:24-28
New Living Translation
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.
Footnotes
- 26:25 Hebrew seven evils.
Proverbs 26:24-28
Living Bible
24-26 A man with hate in his heart may sound pleasant enough, but don’t believe him; for he is cursing you in his heart. Though he pretends to be so kind, his hatred will finally come to light for all to see.
27 The man who sets a trap for others will get caught in it himself. Roll a boulder down on someone, and it will roll back and crush you.
28 Flattery is a form of hatred and wounds cruelly.
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Proverbs 28:21
New Living Translation
21 Showing partiality is never good,
yet some will do wrong for a mere piece of bread.
Proverbs 28:21
Living Bible
21 Giving preferred treatment to rich people is a clear case of selling one’s soul for a piece of bread.
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Proverbs 29:5
New Living Translation
5 To flatter friends
is to lay a trap for their feet.
Proverbs 29:5-6
Living Bible
5-6 Flattery is a trap; evil men are caught in it, but good men stay away and sing for joy.
Read full chapterHoly Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.