¹² The wicked desire the stronghold of evildoers,
    but the root of the righteous endures.

²⁴ Diligent hands will rule,
    but laziness ends in forced labor.^(A)

²⁵ Anxiety weighs down the heart,^(B)
    but a kind word cheers it up.

²⁶ The righteous choose their friends carefully,
    but the way of the wicked leads them astray.^(C)

²⁷ The lazy do not roast^[a] any game,
    but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.

²⁸ In the way of righteousness there is life;^(D)
    along that path is immortality.