| A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends. | A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends. |
| He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. | Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts. Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends. |
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| A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter. | A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence. |
| Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. | Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. |
| An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered. | With their words, the godless destroy their friends, but knowledge will rescue the righteous. |
| He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool. | Hiding hatred makes you a liar; slandering others makes you a fool. |
| Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. | God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. |
| Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. | Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. |
| Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. | Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies! |
| A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit. | Gentle words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. |
| The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. | Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart. |
