18 One who separates himself seeks his own desire;
He ^[a](A)quarrels against all sound wisdom.
² A fool does not delight in understanding,
But ^(B)in revealing his own ^[b]mind.
³ When a wicked person comes, contempt also comes,
And with dishonor comes taunting.
⁴ The words of a person’s mouth are ^(C)deep waters;
^[c]The fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
⁵ To ^(D)show partiality to the wicked is not good,
Nor to ^(E)suppress the righteous in judgment.
⁶ A fool’s lips ^[d]bring strife,
And his mouth invites ^(F)beatings.
⁷ A ^(G)fool’s mouth is his ruin,
And his lips are the snare of his soul.
⁸ The words of a gossiper are like dainty morsels,
And they go down into the ^[e]innermost parts of the body.
⁹ He also who is ^(H)lax in his work
^(I)Is a brother to him who destroys.
¹⁰ The ^(J)name of the Lord is a ^(K)strong tower;
The righteous runs into it and ^(L)is ^[f]safe.
¹¹ A ^(M)rich person’s wealth is his strong city,
And like a high wall in his own imagination.
^12 (N)Before destruction the heart of a person is haughty,
But ^(O)humility goes before honor.
¹³ One who ^(P)gives an answer before he hears,
It is foolishness and shame to him.
¹⁴ The ^(Q)spirit of a person can endure his sickness,
But as for a ^(R)broken spirit, who can endure it?
¹⁵ The ^[g](S)mind of the discerning acquires knowledge,
And the ^(T)ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
¹⁶ A person’s ^(U)gift makes room for him
And brings him before great people.
¹⁷ The first ^[h]to plead his case seems right,
Until ^[i]another comes and examines him.
¹⁸ The cast ^(V)lot puts an end to quarrels,
And ^[j]decides between the mighty ones.
¹⁹ A brother who is offended is harder to be won than a strong city,
And quarrels are like the bars of a citadel.
²⁰ With the ^[k](W)fruit of a person’s mouth his stomach will be satisfied;
^(X)He will be satisfied with the product of his lips.
^21 (Y)Death and life are in the ^[l]power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its ^(Z)fruit.
²² He who finds a ^(AA)wife finds a good thing
And ^(AB)obtains favor from the Lord.
²³ A ^(AC)poor person utters pleadings,
But a ^(AD)rich person ^(AE)answers defiantly.
²⁴ A person of too many friends comes to ^[m]ruin,
But there is ^(AF)a friend who sticks closer than a brother.