Proverbs 26:20-22
New King James Version
20 Where there is no wood, the fire goes out;
And where there is no [a]talebearer, strife ceases.
21 (A)As charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to fire,
So is a contentious man to kindle strife.
22 The words of a [b]talebearer are like [c]tasty trifles,
And they go down into the [d]inmost body.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 26:20 gossip or slanderer, lit. whisperer
- Proverbs 26:22 gossip or slanderer
- Proverbs 26:22 A Jewish tradition wounds
- Proverbs 26:22 Lit. rooms of the belly
Proverbs 26:20-22
Holman Christian Standard Bible
20 Without wood, fire goes out;
without a gossip, conflict dies down.(A)
21 As charcoal for embers and wood for fire,
so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.(B)
22 A gossip’s words are like choice food
that goes down to one’s innermost being.[a](C)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 26:22 Lit to the chambers of the belly
Proverbs 26:20-22
New American Standard Bible
20 For lack of wood the fire goes out,
And where there is no (A)gossiper, (B)quarreling quiets down.
21 Like charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
So is a (C)contentious person to kindle strife.
22 The (D)words of a gossiper are like dainty morsels,
And they go down into the [a]innermost parts of the body.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 26:22 Lit chambers of the belly
Proverbs 26:20-22
English Standard Version
20 For lack of wood the fire goes out,
and where there is no (A)whisperer, (B)quarreling ceases.
21 As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
so is (C)a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
22 (D)The words of (E)a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
they go down into the inner parts of the body.
Proverbs 26:20-22
The Message
20 When you run out of wood, the fire goes out;
when the gossip ends, the quarrel dies down.
21 A quarrelsome person in a dispute
is like kerosene thrown on a fire.
22 Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy;
do you want junk like that in your belly?
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson