20. The tongues of those who are upright and in right standing with God are as choice silver; the minds of those who are wicked and out of harmony with God are of little value.
21. The lips of the [uncompromisingly] righteous feed and guide many, but fools die for want of understanding and heart.
22. The blessing of the Lord–it makes [truly] rich, and He adds no sorrow with it [neither does toiling increase it].
23. It is as sport to a [self-confident] fool to do wickedness, but to have skillful and godly Wisdom is pleasure and relaxation to a man of understanding.
24. The thing a wicked man fears shall come upon him, but the desire of the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall be granted.
25. When the whirlwind passes, the wicked are no more, but the [uncompromisingly] righteous have an everlasting foundation. [Ps. 125:1; Matt. 7:24-27.]
26. As vinegar to the teeth and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who employ and send him.
27. The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord prolongs one's days, but the years of the wicked shall be made short.
28. The hope of the [uncompromisingly] righteous (the upright, in right standing with God) is gladness, but the expectation of the wicked (those who are out of harmony with God) comes to nothing.
29. The way of the Lord is strength and a stronghold to the upright, but it is destruction to the workers of iniquity.
30. The [consistently] righteous shall never be removed, but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth [eventually]. [Ps. 37:22; 125:1.]
31. The mouths of the righteous (those harmonious with God) bring forth skillful and godly Wisdom, but the perverse tongue shall be cut down [like a barren and rotten tree].
32. The lips of the [uncompromisingly] righteous know [and therefore utter] what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked knows [and therefore speaks only] what is obstinately willful and contrary.