15 A gentle answer turns anger away.
    But mean words stir up anger.

² The tongues of wise people use knowledge well.
    But the mouths of foolish people pour out foolish words.

⁴ A tongue that calms is like a tree of life.
    But a tongue that tells lies produces a broken spirit.

⁷ The lips of wise people spread knowledge.
    But the hearts of foolish people are not honest.

²³ Joy is found in giving the right answer.
    And how good is a word spoken at the right time!

²⁶ The Lord hates the thoughts of sinful people.
    But he considers kind words to be pure.