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)

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12 A scoundrel and a villain
    goes around with crooked speech,(A)
13 winking the eyes, shuffling the feet,
    pointing the fingers,(B)
14 with perverted mind devising evil,
    continually sowing discord;(C)
15 on such a one calamity will descend suddenly,
    in a moment, damage beyond repair.(D)

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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)

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10 Whoever winks the eye causes trouble,
    but one who rebukes boldly makes peace.[a](A)
11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
    but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.(B)

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Footnotes

  1. 10.10 Gk: Heb but one with foolish lips will come to ruin

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

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

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

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30 One who winks the eyes plans[a] perverse things;
    one who compresses the lips brings evil to pass.

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Footnotes

  1. 16.30 Gk Syr Vg Tg: Heb to plan

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

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14 “Bad, bad,” says the buyer,
    then goes away and boasts.

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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.

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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

Do not eat the bread of the stingy;
    do not desire their delicacies,(A)
for like a hair in the throat, so are they.[a]
    “Eat and drink!” they say to you,
    but they do not mean it.(B)
You will vomit up the little you have eaten,
    and you will waste your pleasant words.

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Footnotes

  1. 23.7 Meaning of 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.

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Footnotes

  1. 26:23 LXX; MT reads Burning

23 Like the glaze[a] covering an earthen vessel
    are smooth[b] lips with an evil heart.
24 An enemy dissembles in speaking
    while harboring deceit within;(A)
25 when an enemy speaks graciously, do not believe it,
    for there are seven abominations concealed within;(B)
26 though hatred is covered with guile,
    the enemy’s wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.(C)

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Footnotes

  1. 26.23 Cn: Heb silver of dross
  2. 26.23 Gk: Heb burning