23. A man has joy in making an apt answer, and a word spoken at the right moment–how good it is!
24. The path of the wise leads upward to life, that he may avoid [the gloom] in the depths of Sheol (Hades, the place of the dead). [Phil. 3:20; Col. 3:1, 2.]
25. The Lord tears down the house of the proud, but He makes secure the boundaries of the [consecrated] widow.
26. The thoughts of the wicked are shamefully vile and exceedingly offensive to the Lord, but the words of the pure are pleasing words to Him.
27. He who is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household, but he who hates bribes will live. [Isa. 5:8; Jer. 17:11.]
28. The mind of the [uncompromisingly] righteous studies how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things. [I Pet. 3:15.]
29. The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the [consistently] righteous (the upright, in right standing with Him).