⁹ Instead, take up the matter with your neighbor,
    and don’t betray another person’s confidence.
¹⁰ Otherwise, anyone who hears will make you ashamed,
    and your bad reputation will never leave you.

²⁰ Without wood, the fire goes out.
    Without a gossip, contention stops.
²¹ Charcoal is to hot coals
    as wood is to fire;
        so also a quarrelsome man fuels strife.
²² The words of a gossip are like delicate morsels;
    they sink down deep within.

²⁸ A lying tongue hates its victims,
    and a flattering mouth causes ruin.