17. To grab a dog by the ears is asking for trouble.So is interfering in someone else’s quarrel if you’re just passing by.
18-19. A person shouldn’t trick his neighborand then say, “I was just joking!”That is like a madman shootingdeadly, burning arrows.
20. Without wood, a fire will go out.And without gossip, quarreling will stop.
21. Charcoal and wood keep a fire going.In the same way, a quarrelsome person keeps an argument going.
22. The words of a gossip are like tasty bits of food.People take them all in.
23. Kind words from a wicked mindare like a shiny coating on a clay pot.