Proverbs 26:20-28
Proverbs 26:20-28 The Message (MSG)
When you run out of wood, the fire goes out; when the gossip ends, the quarrel dies down. A quarrelsome person in a dispute is like kerosene thrown on a fire. Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy; do you want junk like that in your belly? Smooth talk from an evil heart is like glaze on cracked pottery. Your enemy shakes hands and greets you like an old friend, all the while plotting against you. When he speaks warmly to you, don’t believe him for a minute; he’s just waiting for the chance to rip you off. No matter how shrewdly he conceals his malice, eventually his evil will be exposed in public. Malice backfires; spite boomerangs. Liars hate their victims; flatterers sabotage trust.
Proverbs 26:20-28 King James Version (KJV)
Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: So where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth. As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; So is a contentious man to kindle strife. The words of a talebearer are as wounds, And they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. Burning lips and a wicked heart Are like a potsherd covered with silver dross. He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, And layeth up deceit within him; When he speaketh fair, believe him not: For there are seven abominations in his heart. Whose hatred is covered by deceit, His wickedness shall be shewed before the whole congregation. Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: And he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him. A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; And a flattering mouth worketh ruin.
Proverbs 26:20-28 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)
For lack of wood the fire goes out, And where there is no whisperer, contention quiets down. Like charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, So is a contentious man to kindle strife. The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, And they go down into the innermost parts of the body. Like an earthen vessel overlaid with silver dross Are burning lips and a wicked heart. He who hates disguises it with his lips, But he lays up deceit in his heart. When he speaks graciously, do not believe him, For there are seven abominations in his heart. Though his hatred covers itself with guile, His wickedness will be revealed before the assembly. He who digs a pit will fall into it, And he who rolls a stone, it will come back on him. A lying tongue hates those it crushes, And a flattering mouth works ruin.
Proverbs 26:20-28 New Century Version (NCV)
Without wood, a fire will go out, and without gossip, quarreling will stop. Just as charcoal and wood keep a fire going, a quarrelsome person keeps an argument going. The words of a gossip are like tasty bits of food; people like to gobble them up. Kind words from a wicked mind are like a shiny coating on a clay pot. Those who hate you may try to fool you with their words, but in their minds they are planning evil. People’s words may be kind, but don’t believe them, because their minds are full of evil thoughts. Lies can hide hate, but the evil will be plain to everyone. Whoever digs a pit for others will fall into it. Whoever tries to roll a boulder down on others will be crushed by it. Liars hate the people they hurt, and false praise can ruin others.
Proverbs 26:20-28 American Standard Version (ASV)
For lack of wood the fire goeth out; And where there is no whisperer, contention ceaseth. As coals are to hot embers, and wood to fire, So is a contentious man to inflame strife. The words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels, And they go down into the innermost parts. Fervent lips and a wicked heart Are like an earthen vessel overlaid with silver dross. He that hateth dissembleth with his lips; But he layeth up deceit within him: When he speaketh fair, believe him not; For there are seven abominations in his heart: Though his hatred cover itself with guile, His wickedness shall be openly showed before the assembly. Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein; And he that rolleth a stone, it shall return upon him. A lying tongue hateth those whom it hath wounded; And a flattering mouth worketh ruin.
Proverbs 26:20-28 New International Version (NIV)
Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down. As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife. The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts. Like a coating of silver dross on earthenware are fervent lips with an evil heart. Enemies disguise themselves with their lips, but in their hearts they harbor deceit. Though their speech is charming, do not believe them, for seven abominations fill their hearts. Their malice may be concealed by deception, but their wickedness will be exposed in the assembly. Whoever digs a pit will fall into it; if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them. A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin.
Proverbs 26:20-28 New King James Version (NKJV)
Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; And where there is no talebearer, strife ceases. As charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to fire, So is a contentious man to kindle strife. The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles, And they go down into the inmost body. Fervent lips with a wicked heart Are like earthenware covered with silver dross. He who hates, disguises it with his lips, And lays up deceit within himself; When he speaks kindly, do not believe him, For there are seven abominations in his heart; Though his hatred is covered by deceit, His wickedness will be revealed before the assembly. Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, And he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him. A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it, And a flattering mouth works ruin.
Proverbs 26:20-28 Amplified Bible (AMP)
For lack of wood the fire goes out, And where there is no whisperer [who gossips], contention quiets down. Like charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, So is a contentious man to kindle strife. [Prov 15:18; 29:22] The words of a whisperer (gossip) are like dainty morsels [to be greedily eaten]; They go down into the innermost chambers of the body [to be remembered and mused upon]. [Prov 18:8] Like a [common] clay vessel covered with the silver dross [making it appear silver when it has no real value] Are burning lips [murmuring manipulative words] and a wicked heart. He who hates, disguises it with his lips, But he stores up deceit in his heart. When he speaks graciously and kindly [to conceal his malice], do not trust him, For seven abominations are in his heart. Though his hatred covers itself with guile and deceit, His malevolence will be revealed openly before the assembly. Whoever digs a pit [for another man’s feet] will fall into it, And he who rolls a stone [up a hill to do mischief], it will come back on him. [Ps 7:15, 16; 9:15; 10:2; 57:6; Prov 28:10; Eccl 10:8] A lying tongue hates those it wounds and crushes, And a flattering mouth works ruin.
Proverbs 26:20-28 New Living Translation (NLT)
Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops. A quarrelsome person starts fights as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire lights wood. Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart. Smooth words may hide a wicked heart, just as a pretty glaze covers a clay pot. People may cover their hatred with pleasant words, but they’re deceiving you. They pretend to be kind, but don’t believe them. Their hearts are full of many evils. While their hatred may be concealed by trickery, their wrongdoing will be exposed in public. If you set a trap for others, you will get caught in it yourself. If you roll a boulder down on others, it will crush you instead. A lying tongue hates its victims, and flattering words cause ruin.
Proverbs 26:20-28 The Passion Translation (TPT)
It takes fuel to have a fire— a fire dies down when you run out of fuel. So quarrels disappear when the gossip ends. Add fuel to the fire and the blaze goes on. So add an argumentative man to the mix, and you’ll keep strife alive. Gossip is so delicious, and how we love to swallow it! For slander is easily absorbed into our innermost being. Smooth talk can hide a corrupt heart just like a pretty glaze covers a cheap clay pot. Kind words can be a cover to conceal hatred of others, for hypocrisy loves to hide behind flattery. So don’t be drawn in by the hypocrite, for his gracious speech is a charade, nothing but a masquerade covering his hatred and evil on parade. Don’t worry—he can’t keep the mask on for long. One day his hypocrisy will be exposed before all the world. Go ahead, set a trap for others— and then watch as it snaps back on you! Start a landslide and you’ll be the one who gets crushed. Hatred is the root of slander and insecurity the root of flattery.
Proverbs 26:20-28 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)
For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases. As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body. Like the glaze covering an earthen vessel are fervent lips with an evil heart. Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart; when he speaks graciously, believe him not, for there are seven abominations in his heart; though his hatred be covered with deception, his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly. Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling. A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin.