| A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret. | A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence. |
| A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends. | A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends. |
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| The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts. | Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors, but through knowledge the righteous escape. | With their words, the godless destroy their friends, but knowledge will rescue the righteous. |
| Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips and spreads slander is a fool. | Hiding hatred makes you a liar; slandering others makes you a fool. |
| Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. | 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. |
| 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. | 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 your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. | Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies! |
| The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit. | Gentle words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. |
