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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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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.

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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

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.

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

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Integrity guides the virtuous,
    but dishonesty ruins the treacherous.

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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

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

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

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

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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

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.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:7 LXX; Heb uncertain

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

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.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 26:23 LXX; Heb uncertain