| A perverse person spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends. | A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends. |
| Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right, and speak the truth from their heart; who do not slander with their tongue, and do no evil to their friends, nor take up a reproach against their neighbors. | The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others. |
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| A gossip goes about telling secrets, but one who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a confidence. | A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret. |
| Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. | Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. |
| With their mouths the godless would destroy their neighbors, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered. | With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors, but through knowledge the righteous escape. |
| Lying lips conceal hatred, and whoever utters slander is a fool. | Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips and spreads slander is a fool. |
| Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. | Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. |
| Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers—none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. | Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. |
| Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. | Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. |
| A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit. | The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit. |
| The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body. | The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts. |
