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28 Love and faithfulness keep the king safe.
    His throne is sustained by love.

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

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

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

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29 A wicked man hardens his face;
    but as for the upright, he establishes his ways.

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

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10 Drive out the mocker, and strife will go out;
    yes, quarrels and insults will stop.
11 He who loves purity of heart and speaks gracefully
    is the king’s friend.

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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.

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23 When you sit to eat with a ruler,
    consider diligently what is before you;
put a knife to your throat,
    if you are a man given to appetite.
Don’t be desirous of his dainties,
    since they are deceitful food.

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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.

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Don’t eat the food of him who has a stingy eye,
    and don’t crave his delicacies:
    for as he thinks about the cost, so he is.
    “Eat and drink!” he says to you,
    but his heart is not with you.
The morsel which you have eaten you shall vomit up,
    and lose your good words.

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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.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:7 LXX; Heb uncertain

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

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

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One who sends a message by the hand of a fool
    is cutting off feet and drinking violence.

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

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10 As an archer who wounds all,
    so is he who hires a fool
    or he who hires those who pass by.

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

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24 A malicious man disguises himself with his lips,
    but he harbors evil in his heart.
25 When his speech is charming, don’t believe him,
    for there are seven abominations in his heart.
26 His malice may be concealed by deception,
    but his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
27 Whoever digs a pit shall fall into it.
    Whoever rolls a stone, it will come back on him.
28 A lying tongue hates those it hurts;
    and a flattering mouth works ruin.

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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.

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21 To show partiality is not good;
    yet a man will do wrong for a piece of bread.

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

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

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

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