16 A gift opens doors for a manand brings him before the great.
17 The first to state his case seems rightuntil another comes and cross-examines him.
18 Casting the lot ends quarrelsand separates powerful opponents.
19 An offended brother is harder to reach than a fortified city,and quarrels are like the bars of a fortress.
20 From the fruit of his mouth a man’s stomach is satisfied;he is filled with the product of his lips.
21 Life and death are in the power of the tongue,and those who love it will eat its fruit.
22 A man who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.