21 My son, fear the Lord, as well as the king,(A)
and don’t associate with rebels,[a]
22 for destruction will come suddenly from them;
who knows what distress these two can bring?

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Notas al pie

  1. 24:21 Or those given to change

21 My child, fear the Lord and the king.
Don’t associate with rebels,
22     for disaster will hit them suddenly.
Who knows what punishment will come
    from the Lord and the king?

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It is the glory of God to conceal a matter(A)
and the glory of kings to investigate a matter.
As the heavens are high and the earth is deep,
so the hearts of kings cannot be investigated.

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It is God’s privilege to conceal things
    and the king’s privilege to discover them.

No one can comprehend the height of heaven, the depth of the earth,
    or all that goes on in the king’s mind!

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Remove impurities from silver,(A)
and material will be produced[a] for a silversmith.[b](B)
Remove the wicked from the king’s presence,(C)
and his throne will be established in righteousness.(D)

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Notas al pie

  1. 25:4 Lit will come out; Ex 32:24
  2. 25:4 Or and a vessel will be produced by a silversmith

Remove the impurities from silver,
    and the sterling will be ready for the silversmith.
Remove the wicked from the king’s court,
    and his reign will be made secure by justice.

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Don’t boast about yourself before the king,
and don’t stand in the place of the great;
for it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here!”
than to demote you in plain view of a noble.[a](A)

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Notas al pie

  1. 25:7 Lit you before a noble whom your eyes see

Don’t demand an audience with the king
    or push for a place among the great.
It’s better to wait for an invitation to the head table
    than to be sent away in public disgrace.

Just because you’ve seen something,

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By justice a king brings stability to a land,(A)
but a person who demands “contributions”[a]
demolishes it.(B)

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Notas al pie

  1. 29:4 The Hb word for contributions usually refers to offerings in worship.

A just king gives stability to his nation,
    but one who demands bribes destroys it.

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14 A king who judges the poor with fairness—
his throne will be established forever.(A)

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14 If a king judges the poor fairly,
    his throne will last forever.

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It is not for kings, Lemuel,
it is not for kings(A) to drink wine(B)
or for rulers to desire beer.
Otherwise, he will drink,
forget what is decreed,(C)
and pervert justice for all the oppressed.[a](D)
Give beer to one who is dying
and wine to one whose life is bitter.(E)
Let him drink so that he can forget his poverty
and remember his trouble no more.(F)

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Notas al pie

  1. 31:5 Lit sons of affliction

It is not for kings, O Lemuel, to guzzle wine.
    Rulers should not crave alcohol.
For if they drink, they may forget the law
    and not give justice to the oppressed.
Alcohol is for the dying,
    and wine for those in bitter distress.
Let them drink to forget their poverty
    and remember their troubles no more.

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