¹Those who seek revenge will experience vengeance from the Lord,

who keeps a strict account of their sins.

²Forgive those neighbors who have wronged you,

and then your sins will be forgiven when you pray.

³If people harbor anger against each other,

how can they expect healing from the Lord?

⁴If they do not show mercy toward people like themselves,

how can they seek pardon for their own sins?

⁵If mere human beings harbor anger,

who will make an atoning sacrifice for their sins?

⁶Think of your approaching death,

and choose not to act as an enemy.

Think of your mortality and death,

and be faithful to the commandments.

⁷Think of the commandments,

and don’t be angry with your neighbor.

Think of the covenant of the Most High,

and overlook the faults of others.

Quarrels and Slander

⁸Refrain from quarreling, and you will sin less,

for a hot-tempered person provokes arguments.

⁹A sinner causes trouble among friends

and plants discord among those who are at peace.

¹⁰The more the fuel, the greater the fire;

the stronger the stubbornness, the more the quarreling;

and the greater the wealth, the hotter the anger.

¹¹A quarrel that begins easily kindles a fire,

and a hasty dispute sheds blood.

¹²If you blow on a spark, it flares up,

and if you spit upon it, it will be quenched;

yet both come from your mouth.

¹³May the gossips and the double-tongued be cursed,

for they have troubled many who were at peace.

¹⁴The slanderer has upset many[#28:14 Greek A third tongue.]

and scattered them from nation to nation.

Slander has destroyed strong cities

and overthrown the houses of the great.

¹⁵Slander has driven virtuous women from their homes

and deprived them of the rewards for their work.

¹⁶Those who listen to slander will never find rest,

nor will they relax in peace.

¹⁷The lash of a whip makes a bruise,

but a lash of the tongue breaks bones.

¹⁸Many have been killed by the sword,

but even more have been destroyed by the tongue.

¹⁹Happy are those who are protected from the tongue,

who have not experienced its anger,

who have not been burdened with its yoke

and bound with its chains.

²⁰For its yoke is a yoke of iron,

and its chains are chains of bronze.

²¹The death that the tongue brings is evil,

and the grave is preferable to it.

²²The tongue has no power over the godly;

they will not be burned by its flame.

²³Those who forsake the Lord will fall into its power.

Its fire will burn among them and not be quenched.

This fire will be sent upon them as a lion;

like a leopard it will tear them apart.

²⁴Just as you hedge your property with thorns

and lock up your silver and gold,

²⁵so also make a door and bolt for your mouth

and a scale to carefully measure your words.

²⁶Take care not to slip with your tongue

and fall victim to those waiting to catch you.