¹⁸ One ^(A)who conceals hatred has lying lips,
And one who spreads slander is a fool.
¹⁹ When there are ^(B)many words, wrongdoing is unavoidable,
But ^(C)one who restrains his lips is wise.
²⁰ The tongue of the righteous is like ^(D)choice silver,
The heart of the wicked is worth little.
²¹ The ^(E)lips of the righteous feed many,
But fools ^(F)die for lack of ^[a]understanding.

¹³ One ^(A)who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets,
But one who is ^[a]trustworthy ^(B)conceals a matter.

⁴ A ^[a]soothing tongue is a tree of life,
But perversion in it ^[b]crushes the spirit.

²³ A ^(A)person has joy in an ^[a]apt answer,
And how delightful is a timely ^(B)word!

^7 [a](A)Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool,
Much less are ^(B)lying lips to a prince.

⁹ One who ^(A)conceals an offense seeks love,
But one who repeats a matter ^(B)separates close friends.

²⁷ One who ^(A)withholds his words ^[a]has knowledge,
And one who has a ^(B)cool spirit is a person of understanding.
²⁸ Even a fool, when he ^(C)keeps silent, is considered wise;
When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.