The Malicious Man

12 A worthless person,(A) a wicked man
goes around speaking dishonestly,(B)
13 winking(C) his eyes, signaling with his feet,
and gesturing with his fingers.
14 He always plots evil(D) with perversity in his heart;
he stirs up trouble.(E)
15 Therefore calamity will strike him suddenly;
he will be shattered instantly, beyond recovery.(F)

Read full chapter

12 Worthless people and guilty people
    go around with crooked talk.
13 They wink their eyes, gesture with their feet,
    and point with their fingers.
14 Their hearts are corrupt and determined to do evil;
    they create controversies all the time.
15 Therefore, sudden disaster will come upon them;
    they will be quickly broken beyond healing.

Read full chapter

10 A sly wink of the eye(A) causes grief,
and foolish lips will be destroyed.

11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,(B)
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.(C)

Read full chapter

10 Those who wink an eye bring trouble;
    those who speak foolishly are ruined.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
    but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

Read full chapter

The integrity of the upright guides them,(A)
but the perversity of the treacherous destroys them.(B)

Read full chapter

Integrity guides the virtuous,
    but dishonesty ruins the treacherous.

Read full chapter

30 The one who narrows his eyes is planning deceptions;
the one who compresses his lips brings about evil.(A)

Read full chapter

30 Those who wink their eye plot destruction;
    those who purse their lips plan evil.

Read full chapter

14 “It’s worthless, it’s worthless!” the buyer says,
but after he is on his way, he gloats.

Read full chapter

14 The buyer says, “Bad, bad,”
    but then goes away and brags.

Read full chapter

Don’t eat a stingy person’s bread,[a](A)
and don’t desire his choice food,(B)
for it’s like someone calculating inwardly.[b](C)
“Eat and drink,” he says to you,
but his heart is not with you.(D)
You will vomit the little you’ve eaten
and waste your pleasant words.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 23:6 Lit eat bread of an evil eye
  2. 23:7 LXX reads it is like someone swallowing a hair in the throat

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.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:7 LXX; Heb uncertain

23 Smooth[a] lips with an evil heart
are like glaze on an earthen vessel.(A)
24 A hateful person disguises himself with his speech
and harbors deceit within.
25 When he speaks graciously, don’t believe him,
for there are seven detestable things in his heart.(B)
26 Though his hatred is concealed by deception,
his evil will be revealed in the assembly.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 26:23 LXX; MT reads Burning

23 Smooth[a] lips and an evil heart
    are like silver coating on clay.
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.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 26:23 LXX; Heb uncertain