| Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. | Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin. |
| Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. | Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. |
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| The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin. | The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin. |
| A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. | One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. |
| But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. | Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. |
| The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. | The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. |
| The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless, but destruction to evildoers. | The way of the Lord is a refuge for the blameless, but it is the ruin of those who do evil. |
| Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” | Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” |
| With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered. | With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors, but through knowledge the righteous escape. |
| For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly execute justice one with another, if you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever. | If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your ancestors for ever and ever. |
| Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me. | Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. |
