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20 Fire goes out without wood,
    and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.

21 A quarrelsome person starts fights
    as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire lights wood.

22 Rumors are dainty morsels
    that sink deep into one’s heart.

23 Smooth[a] words may hide a wicked heart,
    just as a pretty glaze covers a clay pot.

24 People may cover their hatred with pleasant words,
    but they’re deceiving you.
25 They pretend to be kind, but don’t believe them.
    Their hearts are full of many evils.[b]
26 While their hatred may be concealed by trickery,
    their wrongdoing will be exposed in public.

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Footnotes

  1. 26:23 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads Burning.
  2. 26:25 Hebrew seven evils.

20 With no wood the fire goes out,
And where there is no (A)whisperer, (B)strife quiets down.
21 Like charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
So is a (C)contentious man to kindle strife.
22 The (D)words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels,
And they go down into the innermost parts of the stomach.
23 Like an earthen (E)vessel overlaid with silver (F)dross
Are fiery lips and an evil heart.
24 He who (G)hates disguises it with his lips,
But he sets up (H)deceit within himself.
25 When he (I)makes his voice gracious, do not believe him,
For there are seven abominations in his heart.
26 Though his hatred (J)covers itself with guile,
His evil will be (K)revealed in the assembly.

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28 A lying tongue hates its victims,
    and flattering words cause ruin.

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28 A lying tongue hates [a]those it crushes,
And a (A)flattering mouth works ruin.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 26:28 Lit its crushed ones