Proverbs 26:24

The one who hates others disguises ¹  it with his lips, but he stores up ²  deceit within him. ³ 

A malicious man disguises himself with his lips, but in his heart he harbours deceit.

He who hates disguises it with his lips, But he lays up deceit in his heart.

People with hate in their hearts may sound pleasant enough, but don’t believe them.

Your enemy shakes hands and greets you like an old friend, all the while conniving against you.

With his lips the hater makes things seem what they are not, but deceit is stored up inside him;

An enemy dissembles in speaking while harboring deceit within;

He who hates, disguises it with his lips, And lays up deceit within himself;

The one who hates others disguises ¹  it with his lips, but he stores up ²  deceit within him. ³ 

¹ tn The Niphal imperfect from נָכַר (nakhar) means “to act [or, treat] as a foreigner [or, stranger]; to misconstrue; to disguise.” The direct object (“it”) is not present in the Hebrew text but is implied. In this passage it means that the hater speaks what is “foreign” to his thought; in other words, he dissembles.

² tn Or “places; puts; lays up” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB).

³ tn Heb “within him” (so KJV, ASV) or “in his midst”; NAB “in his inmost being.”

sn Hypocritical words may hide a wicked heart. The proverb makes an observation: One who in reality despises other people will often disguise that with what he says.