Proverbs 16:21-30

New American Standard Bible 1995

²¹ The ^(A)wise in heart will be called understanding,
And sweetness of ^[a]speech ^(B)increases ^[b]persuasiveness.
²² Understanding is a fountain of life to one who has it,
But the discipline of fools is folly.
²³ The ^(C)heart of the wise instructs his mouth
And adds ^[c]persuasiveness to his lips.
^24 (D)Pleasant words are a honeycomb,
Sweet to the soul and ^(E)healing to the bones.
^25 (F)There is a way which seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.
²⁶ A worker’s appetite works for him,
For his ^[d]hunger urges him on.
²⁷ A ^(G)worthless man digs up evil,
While ^[e]his words are like ^(H)scorching fire.
²⁸ A perverse man spreads strife,
And a slanderer separates intimate friends.
²⁹ A man of violence ^(I)entices his neighbor
And leads him in a way that is not good.
³⁰ He who winks his eyes does so to devise perverse things;
He who compresses his lips brings evil to pass.