17  Whoever heeds instruction is on ^dthe path to life,

but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.

18  The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,

and whoever utters slander is a fool.

19  ^eWhen words are many, transgression is not lacking,

^fbut whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

20  The tongue of the righteous is ^gchoice silver;

the heart of the wicked is of little worth.

21  The lips of the righteous feed many,

but fools die for ^hlack of sense.

22  ⁱThe blessing of the Lord makes rich,

and he adds no sorrow with it.¹

23  Doing wrong is ^jlike a joke to a fool,

but ^kwisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.

24  ^lWhat the wicked dreads ^mwill come upon him,

but ⁿthe desire of the righteous will be granted.

25  When ^othe tempest passes, the wicked is no more,

but ^pthe righteous is established forever.

26  Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,

so is the sluggard to those who send him.

27  ^qThe fear of the Lord prolongs life,

^rbut the years of the wicked will be short.

28  ^sThe hope of the righteous brings joy,

^tbut the expectation of the wicked will perish.

29  ^uThe way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless,

but destruction to evildoers.

30  ^vThe righteous will never be removed,

but ^wthe wicked will not dwell in the land.

31  ^xThe mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,

but the perverse tongue will be cut off.

32  The lips of the righteous ^yknow what is acceptable,

but the mouth of the wicked, ^zwhat is perverse.