26:17 Like one who grabs a wild dog by the ears,
so is the person passing by who becomes furious over a quarrel not his own.
26:18 Like a madman who shoots
firebrands and deadly arrows,
26:19 so is a person who deceives his neighbor,
and says, “Was I not only joking?”
26:20 Where there is no wood, a fire goes out,
and where there is no gossip, contention ceases.
26:21 Like charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to fire,
so is a contentious person to kindle strife.
26:22 The words of a gossip are like delicious morsels;
they go down into a person’s innermost being.