20 When you run out of wood, the fire goes out;when the gossip ends, the quarrel dies down.
21 A quarrelsome person in a disputeis like kerosene thrown on a fire.
22 Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy;do you want junk like that in your belly?
23 Smooth talk from an evil heartis like glaze on cracked pottery.
24-26 Your enemy shakes hands and greets you like an old friend,all the while conniving against you.When he speaks warmly to you, don’t believe him for a minute;he’s just waiting for the chance to rip you off.No matter how cunningly he conceals his malice,eventually his evil will be exposed in public.
27 Malice backfires;spite boomerangs.
28 Liars hate their victims;flatterers sabotage trust.