28  In ^ra multitude of people is the glory of a king,

but without people a prince is ruined.

35  A servant who deals wisely has ^cthe king’s favor,

but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully.

10  ^aAn oracle is on the lips of a king;

his mouth does not sin in judgment.

12  It is an abomination to kings to do evil,

for ^cthe throne is established by righteousness.

13  ^dRighteous lips are the delight of a king,

and he loves him who speaks what is right.

14  ^eA king’s wrath is a messenger of death,

and a wise man will ^fappease it.

15  ^gIn the light of a king’s face there is life,

and his ^dfavor is like ^hthe clouds that bring the spring rain.

7  Fine speech is not ^wbecoming to a fool;

still less is ^xfalse speech to a prince.

11  An evil man seeks only rebellion,

and ^ba cruel messenger will be sent against him.

12  A king’s wrath is like ^qthe growling of a lion,

but his ^rfavor is like ^sdew on the grass.

2  The terror of a king is like ^bthe growling of a lion;

whoever provokes him to anger ^cforfeits his life.

8  ^lA king who sits on the throne of judgment

^mwinnows all evil with his eyes.

26  A wise king ^pwinnows the wicked

and drives ^qthe wheel over them.

28  ^uSteadfast love and faithfulness preserve the king,

and by steadfast love his ^vthrone is upheld.

21  The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;

he ^yturns it wherever he will.

11  He who ^floves purity of heart,

and whose ^gspeech is gracious, ^hwill have the king as his friend.

23  When you sit down to eat with a ruler,

observe carefully what¹ is before you,

2  and put a knife to your throat

if you are given to appetite.

3  ^cDo not desire his delicacies,

for they are deceptive food.

21  My son, ^zfear the Lord and the king,

and do not join with those who do otherwise,

22  for disaster will arise suddenly from them,

and who knows the ruin that will come from them both?

2  It is the glory of God to ⁿconceal things,

but the glory of kings is to ^osearch things out.

3  As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth,

so the heart of kings is ^punsearchable.

4  Take away ^qthe dross from the silver,

and ^rthe smith has material for a vessel;

5  take away ^sthe wicked from the presence of the king,

and his ^tthrone will be established in righteousness.

6  Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence

or stand in the place of the great,

7  for ^uit is better to be told, “Come up here,”

than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.

What your eyes have seen

15  With ^epatience a ruler may be persuaded,

and a soft tongue will break a bone.

2  When a land transgresses, ^eit has many rulers,

but with a man of understanding and knowledge,

its stability will long continue.

3  ^fA poor man who oppresses the poor

is a beating rain that leaves no food.

15  Like ^ba roaring lion or ^ca charging bear

is ^da wicked ruler over a poor people.

16  A ruler who ^elacks understanding is a cruel oppressor,

but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.

4  By justice a king ^hbuilds up the land,

but he who exacts gifts¹ tears it down.

12  If a ruler listens to falsehood,

all his officials will be wicked.

14  If a king ^tfaithfully judges the poor,

his throne will ^ube established forever.

26  Many ^jseek the face of a ruler,

but it is from the Lord that a man ^kgets justice.