27 (A)Do not withhold good from [a]those to whom it is due,
When it is in your power to do it.
28 (B)Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back,
And tomorrow I will give it to you,”
When you have it with you.
29 (C)Do not devise harm against your neighbor,
While he lives securely beside you.
30 (D)Do not contend with a person for no reason,
If he has done you no harm.
31 (E)Do not envy a violent person,
And do not choose any of his ways.
32 For the (F)devious are an abomination to the Lord;
But [b]He is (G)intimate with the upright.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 3:27 Lit its owners
  2. Proverbs 3:32 Lit His private counsel is

[a](A)Ill-gotten gains do not benefit,
But righteousness rescues from death.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:2 Lit Treasures of wickedness

Contrast of the Upright and the Wicked

11 A (A)false balance is an abomination to the Lord,
But a (B)just weight is His delight.

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One who (A)guards his mouth protects his life;
One who (B)opens wide his lips [a]comes to ruin.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:3 Lit ruin is his

11 Wealth obtained from [a]nothing dwindles,
But one who gathers [b]by labor increases it.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:11 Prob. referring to fraud
  2. Proverbs 13:11 Lit by hand

One who (A)walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,
But one who is (B)devious in his ways despises Him.

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A (A)trustworthy witness will not lie,
But a (B)false witness (C)declares lies.

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27 He who (A)profits illicitly troubles his own house,
But he who (B)hates bribes will live.

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By (A)mercy and truth atonement is made for wrongdoing,
And by [a]the (B)fear of the Lord one keeps away from evil.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 16:6 Or reverence for

Better is a little with righteousness
Than great income with injustice.

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11 A (A)just balance and scales belong to the Lord;
All the [a]weights of the bag are His [b]concern.

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  1. Proverbs 16:11 Lit stones
  2. Proverbs 16:11 Lit work

A servant who acts wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully,
And will share in the inheritance among brothers.

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A (A)bribe is a [a]charm in the sight of its owner;
Wherever he turns, he prospers.

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  1. Proverbs 17:8 Lit stone of favor

23 A wicked person accepts a (A)bribe [a]from an inside pocket
To (B)pervert the ways of justice.

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  1. Proverbs 17:23 Lit a fold in a robe; i.e., secretly

21 An inheritance gained in a hurry at the beginning
Will not be blessed in the end.

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To do (A)righteousness and justice
Is preferred by the Lord more than sacrifice.

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The (A)acquisition of treasures by a lying tongue
Is a fleeting vapor, the [a]pursuit of (B)death.
The violence of the wicked will sweep them away,
Because they (C)refuse to act with justice.
The way of a guilty person is (D)crooked,
But as for the pure, his conduct is upright.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 21:6 Lit seekers

22 (A)Do not rob the poor because he is poor,
Nor (B)crush the needy at the gate;
23 For the Lord will (C)plead their case
And [a]take the life of those who rob them.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:23 Lit rob the soul

23 These also are (A)sayings of the wise:
To [a](B)show partiality in judgment is not good.
24 One (C)who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
(D)Peoples will curse him, nations will scold him;
25 But (E)for those who rebuke the wicked there will be delight,
And a good blessing will come upon them.
26 One who gives [b]a right answer
Kisses the lips.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 24:23 Lit regard the face
  2. Proverbs 24:26 Or an honest

A (A)poor man who oppresses the helpless
Is like a driving rain [a]which leaves no food.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 28:3 Lit and there is no bread

(A)Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity,
Than a person who is [a]crooked, though he is rich.

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  1. Proverbs 28:6 Lit perverse of two ways

One who increases his wealth by [a](A)interest of any kind,
Collects it (B)for one who is gracious to the poor.

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  1. Proverbs 28:8 Possibly interest on money and food loans

(A)Open your mouth for the people who cannot speak,
For the [a]rights of all the [b]unfortunate.
Open your mouth, (B)judge righteously,
And [c]defend the (C)rights of the poor and needy.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 31:8 Lit judgment
  2. Proverbs 31:8 Lit sons of passing away
  3. Proverbs 31:9 Lit judge the afflicted

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