²⁶ He kisses the lips
Who responds with right words.

⁸ Do not go out ^(A)hastily to plead your case;
Lest, what will you do in ^[a]the end,
When your neighbor humiliates you?
^9 (B)Plead your case with your neighbor,
And ^(C)do not reveal the secret of another,
¹⁰ Lest he who hears it bring disgrace upon you,
And the bad report about you will not turn away.

¹¹ Like apples of gold in settings of silver
Is a ^(A)word spoken in ^[a]right circumstances.
¹² Like ^[b]an ^(B)earring of gold and an ^(C)ornament of ^(D)fine gold
Is a wise reprover to a ^(E)listening ear.
¹³ Like the cold of snow in the ^[c]time of harvest
Is a ^(F)faithful envoy to those who send him,
For he refreshes the soul of his masters.
¹⁴ Like ^(G)clouds and ^(H)wind without rain
Is a man who boasts ^[d]of his gifts falsely.
^15 (I)When one is slow to anger, a ruler may be persuaded,
And a soft tongue breaks the bone.

²⁰ Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on ^[a]soda,
Is he who sings songs to ^[b]an aching heart.

^4 (A)Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest you yourself also be like him.
^5 (B)Answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest he be ^(C)wise in his own eyes.

¹⁷ Like one who seizes a dog by the ears
Is he who passes by and becomes passionate about ^(A)strife not belonging to him.

¹⁸ Like a madman who shoots
^(A)Firebrands, arrows, and death,
¹⁹ So is the man who ^(B)deceives his neighbor,
And says, “^(C)Am I not joking?”

²³ He who ^(A)reproves a man will afterward find more favor
Than he who ^(B)flatters with the tongue.

²⁰ Do you behold a man who is ^(A)hasty in his words?
There is ^(B)more hope for a fool than for him.