4  An evildoer listens to wicked lips,

and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.

20  ^mA man of crooked heart does not discover good,

and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.

19  ^aBetter is a poor person who ^bwalks in his integrity

than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.

18  Like a madman who throws ^ofirebrands, arrows, and death

19  is the man who deceives his neighbor

and says, “I am only joking!”

28  A lying tongue hates its victims,

and a flattering mouth works ruin.