Proverbs 26:19-21
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
19 Such are those who deceive their neighbor,
and then say, “I was only joking.”
20 [a]Without wood the fire dies out;
without a talebearer strife subsides.
21 Charcoal for coals, wood for fire—
such are the quarrelsome, enkindling strife.(A)
Footnotes
- 26:20–22 The three proverbs have a common theme—the destructive power of slanderous words. Certain words are repeated: wood and fire, talebearer.
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