²⁶ An honest answer is as pleasing
as a kiss on the lips.

⁹ ·If you have an argument with [^LMake your accusations against] your neighbor,
    ·don’t tell other people what was said [keep it a secret from others].
¹⁰ Whoever hears it might shame you,
    and ·you might not ever be respected again [^Lthe slander against you will never stop].

¹¹ The right word spoken at the right time
is as beautiful as gold apples in a silver ·bowl [^Lsetting].

¹² A wise ·warning [correction] to ·someone who will listen [^La listening ear]
is as valuable as gold earrings or fine gold jewelry.

¹³ Trustworthy messengers refresh those who send them,
like the coolness of snow ·in the summertime [^Lat harvest time].

¹⁴ People who brag about gifts they never give
are like clouds and wind that give no rain.

¹⁵ With patience you can convince a ruler,
and a ·gentle [tender] word ·can get through to the hard-headed [^Lbreaks bone].

²⁰ Singing songs to ·someone who is sad [^La troubled heart]
    is like taking away his coat on a cold day
or pouring vinegar on soda [^Csodium bicarbonate; mixing the two would cause an adverse reaction; the Greek Old Testament reads “scab” or “wound” instead of “soda”].

⁴ Don’t answer fools when they speak foolishly,
or you will be just like them.

⁵ Answer fools when they speak foolishly,
or they will ·think they are really wise [^Lbe wise in their own eyes; ^Ca wise person must read the situation to know whether to answer or not].