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19:1  One who does this will not become rich; one who despises small things will fail little by little.
19:2  Wine and women lead intelligent men astray, and the man who consorts with prostitutes is reckless.
19:3  Decay and worms will take possession of him, and the reckless person will be snatched away.
19:4  One who trusts others too quickly has a shallow mind, and one who sins does wrong to himself.
19:5  One who rejoices in wickedness will be condemned,
19:6  but one who hates gossip has less evil.
19:7  Never repeat a conversation, and you will lose nothing at all.
19:8  With friend or foe do not report it, and unless it would be a sin for you, do not reveal it;
19:9  for someone may have heard you and watched you, and in time will hate you.
19:10  Have you heard something? Let it die with you. Be brave, it will not make you burst!
19:11  Having heard something, the fool suffers birth-pangs like a woman in labour with a child.
19:12  Like an arrow stuck in a person’s thigh, so is gossip inside a fool.
19:13  Question a friend; perhaps he did not do it; or if he did, so that he may not do it again.
19:14  Question a neighbour; perhaps he did not say it; or if he said it, so that he may not repeat it.
19:15  Question a friend, for often it is slander; so do not believe everything you hear.
19:16  A person may make a slip without intending it. Who has not sinned with his tongue?
19:17  Question your neighbour before you threaten him; and let the law of the Most High take its course.
19:20  The whole of wisdom is fear of the Lord, and in all wisdom there is the fulfilment of the law.
19:22  The knowledge of wickedness is not wisdom, nor is there prudence in the counsel of sinners.
19:23  There is a cleverness that is detestable, and there is a fool who merely lacks wisdom.
19:24  Better are the God-fearing who lack understanding than the highly intelligent who transgress the law.
19:25  There is a cleverness that is exact but unjust, and there are people who abuse favours to gain a verdict.
19:26  There is the villain bowed down in mourning, but inwardly he is full of deceit.
19:27  He hides his face and pretends not to hear, but when no one notices, he will take advantage of you.
19:28  Even if lack of strength keeps him from sinning, he will nevertheless do evil when he finds the opportunity.