23
Gain the trust of your neighbor in his poverty, that you may rejoice with him in his prosperity; stand by him in time of affliction, that you may share with him in his inheritance.
24
The vapor and smoke of the furnace precede the fire; so insults precede bloodshed.
25
I will not be ashamed to protect a friend, and I will not hide from him;
26
but if some harm should happen to me because of him, whoever hears of it will beware of him.
27
O that a guard were set over my mouth, and a seal of prudence upon my lips, that it may keep me from falling, so that my tongue may not destroy me!
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.