“God Sees and Notes All the Wicked and the Good, and Will Judge 神看見和留意所有壞人好人，並必審判“（Proverbs 箴言 15:1-4）
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly. The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good. The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.
柔和的回答使烈怒消退，暴戾的話激動怒氣。智慧人的舌頭闡揚知識；愚昧人的口發出愚妄。耶和華的眼目無所不在；壞人好人他都鑑察。說安慰話的舌頭是生命樹；奸惡的舌頭使人心碎。
Wisdom shows us the value of a soft answer, one without sharp edges or points. That kind of answer can actually turn away wrath. A harsh response often only stirs up more anger instead. The wise will show their right use of knowledge by the words they say. Their words demonstrate their wisdom. It is not enough for people to claim they have wisdom in their heart or mind; what they say proves either their wisdom or folly. Good words are like a tree that continually brings life from its shade and fruit. If someone’s tongue is perverse (twisted, crooked, corrupt) instead of wholesome, their words will break the spirit of others. Wisdom understands that we are always under God’s eyes. He sees us in every place, even when we are hidden to human eyes. Among mankind, the wicked are often unpunished and the good are often unrewarded – but God sees and notes all, and will judge.
智慧表明給我們柔和而不帶銳利刀刃或尖頭的回答的價值，那樣的回答能實在地使烈怒消退；反之，暴戾的回應往往激動更多的怒氣。智者以他們說的話必顯示自己知識的正確使用，他們的話証明自己的智慧。人們聲稱在自己的心思或意念裡有智慧是不足夠的；他們所說的証實自己的智慧或愚昧。明智的話就像一棵樹，從它的樹蔭和果子持續地帶來生命。若某人的舌頭是乖張（扭曲、不誠實、腐敗）而不是健全的，這些人的話必破碎别人的心靈。智慧明白我們常常在神的眼目之下，祂處處都看得見我們，就算當我們在人眼中看為是隠藏的。在人類當中，惡人往往未受刑罰，而好人往往未得獎賞–但神看見和留意一切，並必審判。
Prayer: God of Wisdom, our words have the power to do far more good or harm than we often think. The choice is ours and yet when people come to us in wrath, we are often tempted to be harsh in response feeling justified at that moment but ending up with the situation getting worse, not better. Even though it is very difficult for us to do, help us to know: when to speak, and when to be silent; what to speak, and what to leave unspoken; the manner that is best and most suitable to the occasion, the subject, the circumstances, and the persons, etc. Amen.
禱告: 智慧的神啊，我們說的話有著能力去作得比自己往往以為的更好或更傷害，那選擇是我們的；然而，當人在烈怒中來找我們時，我們往往受著試探去以暴戾的回應相待，那時感覺得理直氣壯，卻以更差而不是更好的情況收場。儘管對我們來說是很困難作的，求你幫助我們曉得：甚麽時候要說，並甚麽時候要靜默；要說甚麽，並要保留甚麽不說；對那場合、話題、情況和對像最好和最適切的態度等等。阿們。
