²⁷ 
A worthless man devises and digs up evil,
And the words on his lips are like a scorching fire.
²⁸ 
A perverse man spreads strife,
And one who gossips separates intimate friends.^(A)
29 
A violent and exceedingly covetous man entices his neighbor [to sin],
And leads him in a way that is not good.
³⁰ 
He who [slyly] winks his eyes does so to plot perverse things;
And he who compresses his lips [as if in a secret signal] brings evil to pass.

⁴ 
An evildoer listens closely to wicked lips;
And a liar pays attention to a destructive and malicious tongue.

⁹ 
He who covers and forgives an offense seeks love,
But he who repeats or gossips about a matter separates intimate friends.

¹⁹ 
He who loves transgression loves strife and is quarrelsome;
He who [proudly] raises his gate seeks destruction [because of his arrogant pride].
²⁰ 
He who has a crooked mind finds no good,
And he who is perverted in his language falls into evil.^(A)

²⁴ 
[Skillful and godly] wisdom is in the presence of a person of understanding [and he recognizes it],
But the eyes of a [thickheaded] fool are on the ends of the earth.

18 He who [willfully] separates himself [from God and man] seeks his own desire,
He quarrels against all sound wisdom.
² 
A [closed-minded] fool does not delight in understanding,
But only in revealing his personal opinions [unwittingly displaying his self-indulgence and his stupidity].

²³ 
The poor man pleads,
But the rich man answers roughly.

⁴ 
Wealth makes many friends,
But a poor man is separated from his friend.^(A)

⁶ 
Many will seek the favor of a generous and noble man,
And everyone is a friend to him who gives gifts.

⁶ 
Many a man proclaims his own loyalty and goodness,
But who can find a faithful and trustworthy man?