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18:1  An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.
18:2  Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.
18:3  When wickedness comes, so does contempt, and with shame comes reproach.
18:4  The words of the mouth are deep waters, but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.
18:5  It is not good to be partial to the wicked and so deprive the innocent of justice.
18:6  The lips of fools bring them strife, and their mouths invite a beating.
18:7  The mouths of fools are their undoing, and their lips are a snare to their very lives.
18:8  The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts.
18:9  One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.
18:10  The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
18:11  The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it a wall too high to scale.
18:12  Before a downfall the heart is haughty, but humility comes before honour.
18:13  To answer before listening – that is folly and shame.
18:14  The human spirit can endure in times of illness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?
18:15  The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out.
18:16  A gift opens the way and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.
18:17  In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines.
18:18  Casting the lot settles disputes and keeps strong opponents apart.
18:19  A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city; disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.
18:20  From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled; with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.
18:21  The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
18:22  He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favour from the Lord.
18:23  The poor plead for mercy, but the rich answer harshly.
18:24  One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.