Proverbs 26:20-22
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
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)
22 The words of a talebearer are like dainty morsels:
they sink into one’s inmost being.[b](B)
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.
- 26:22 Malicious gossip is compared to delicious food that is swallowed and lodges in the deepest recesses of one’s body. Negative comments are seldom forgotten. Prv 18:8 is a duplicate.
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