23. Its victims are those who have abandoned the Lord; once the fire of slander has been lit among them, it cannot be put out. Slander will pounce on them like a lion and tear them to pieces like a leopard.
24. Don't you fence in your property? Don't you lock up your money?
25. Well, be just as careful with what you say. Weigh every word, and have a lock ready for your mouth.
26. Someone may be waiting for you to slip, and if you are not careful, you will stumble over your own words and fall down in front of him.