A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends. | A perverse man stirs up strife. A whisperer separates close friends. |
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. | He who walks blamelessly and does what is right, and speaks truth in his heart; he who doesn’t slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his friend, nor casts slurs against his fellow man. |
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A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence. | One who brings gossip betrays a confidence, but one who is of a trustworthy spirit is one who keeps a secret. |
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. | Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good for building others up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear. |
With their words, the godless destroy their friends, but knowledge will rescue the righteous. | With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor, but the righteous will be delivered through knowledge. |
Hiding hatred makes you a liar; slandering others makes you a fool. | He who hides hatred has lying lips. He who utters a slander is a fool. |
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. | Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake. |
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. | Or don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s Kingdom? Don’t be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor extortionists, will inherit God’s Kingdom. |
Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies! | Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking lies. |
Gentle words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. | A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but deceit in it crushes the spirit. |
Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart. | The words of a gossip are like dainty morsels: they go down into a person’s innermost parts. |