| The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse. | The lips of the righteous know what finds favor, but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse. |
| A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends. | A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends. |
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| Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. | Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. |
| The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate. | To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. |
| 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. |
| Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways, for the devious person is an abomination to the Lord, but the upright are in his confidence. | Do not envy the violent or choose any of their ways. For the Lord detests the perverse but takes the upright into his confidence. |
| Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life. | Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. |
| Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out. | Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out. |
| The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” | The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” |
| The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. | The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. |
| We have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. | We have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. |
