18 One who separates himself seeks his own desire;
He ^[a]quarrels against all sound wisdom.
² A fool does not delight in understanding,
But in revealing his own ^[b]mind.
³ When a wicked person comes, contempt also comes,
And with dishonor comes taunting.
⁴ The words of a person’s mouth are deep waters;
^[c]The fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
⁵ To show partiality to the wicked is not good,
Nor to suppress the righteous in judgment.
⁶ A fool’s lips ^[d]bring strife,
And his mouth invites beatings.
⁷ A fool’s mouth is his ruin,
And his lips are the snare of his soul.
⁸ The words of a gossiper are like dainty morsels,
And they go down into the ^[e]innermost parts of the body.
⁹ He also who is lax in his work
Is a brother to him who destroys.
¹⁰ The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
The righteous runs into it and is ^[f]safe.
¹¹ A rich person’s wealth is his strong city,
And like a high wall in his own imagination.
¹² Before destruction the heart of a person is haughty,
But humility goes before honor.
¹³ One who gives an answer before he hears,
It is foolishness and shame to him.
¹⁴ The spirit of a person can endure his sickness,
But as for a broken spirit, who can endure it?
¹⁵ The ^[g]mind of the discerning acquires knowledge,
And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
¹⁶ A person’s gift makes room for him
And brings him before great people.
¹⁷ The first ^[h]to plead his case seems right,
Until ^[i]another comes and examines him.
¹⁸ The cast lot puts an end to quarrels,
And ^[j]decides between the mighty ones.
¹⁹ A brother who is offended is harder to be won than a strong city,
And quarrels are like the bars of a citadel.
²⁰ With the ^[k]fruit of a person’s mouth his stomach will be satisfied;
He will be satisfied with the product of his lips.
²¹ Death and life are in the ^[l]power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.
²² He who finds a wife finds a good thing
And obtains favor from the Lord.
²³ A poor person utters pleadings,
But a rich person answers defiantly.
²⁴ A person of too many friends comes to ^[m]ruin,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.