⁷ “They^(A) sow the wind,
And reap the whirlwind.
The stalk has no bud;
It shall never produce meal.
If it should produce,
^(B)Aliens would swallow it up.

¹⁷ He who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own
Is like one who takes a dog by the ears.

¹⁸ Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death,
¹⁹ Is the man who deceives his neighbor,
And says, ^(A)“I was only joking!”

²⁰ Where there is no wood, the fire goes out;
And where there is no ^[a]talebearer, strife ceases.
^21 (B)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.