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15A soft answer turns away wrath,
   but a harsh word stirs up anger.
² The tongue of the wise dispenses knowledge,^*
   but the mouths of fools pour out folly.
³ The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
   keeping watch on the evil and the good.
⁴ A gentle tongue is a tree of life,
   but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
⁷ The lips of the wise spread knowledge;
   not so the minds of fools.
⁸ The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
   but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
⁴ An evildoer listens to wicked lips;
   and a liar gives heed to a mischievous tongue.
⁵ Those who mock the poor insult their Maker;
   those who are glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
⁶ Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,
   and the glory of children is their parents.
⁷ Fine speech is not becoming to a fool;
   still less is false speech to a ruler.^*
8 A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of those who give it;
   wherever they turn they prosper.
⁹ One who forgives an affront fosters friendship,
   but one who dwells on disputes will alienate a friend.
¹⁰ A rebuke strikes deeper into a discerning person
   than a hundred blows into a fool.