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?

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 24:21 Or those given to change

21 My child, fear the Lord and the king,
    and do not disobey either of them,[a](A)
22 for disaster comes from them suddenly,
    and who knows the ruin that both can bring?

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 24.21 Gk: Heb do not associate with those who change

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.

Read full chapter

It is the glory of God to conceal things,
    but the glory of kings is to search things out.(A)
Like the heavens for height, like the earth for depth,
    so the mind of kings is unsearchable.

Read full chapter

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)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

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

Take away the dross from the silver,
    and the smith has material for a vessel;(A)
take away the wicked from the presence of the king,
    and his throne will be established in righteousness.(B)

Read full chapter

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)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

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

Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence
    or stand in the place of the great,
for it is better to be told, “Come up here,”
    than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.

What your eyes have seen(A)

Read full chapter

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

Read full chapter

Footnotes

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

By justice a king gives stability to the land,
    but one who makes heavy exactions ruins it.

Read full chapter

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

Read full chapter

14 If a king judges the poor with equity,
    his throne will be established forever.(A)

Read full chapter

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)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 31:5 Lit sons of affliction

It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
    it is not for kings to drink wine
    or for rulers to desire[a] strong drink,(A)
lest they drink and forget what has been decreed
    and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
Give strong drink to one who is perishing
    and wine to those in bitter distress;
let them drink and forget their poverty
    and remember their misery no more.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 31.4 Cn: Heb where