| But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. | When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. |
| Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones. | Kind words are like honey— sweet to the soul and healthy for the body. |
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| O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. | Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. |
| So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. | It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. |
| Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. | May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. |
| A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself. | Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions. |
| Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue. | Rescue me, O Lord, from liars and from all deceitful people. |
| An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered. | With their words, the godless destroy their friends, but knowledge will rescue the righteous. |
| A fool's lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes. | Fools’ words get them into constant quarrels; they are asking for a beating. |
| In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury. | Work brings profit, but mere talk leads to poverty! |
| Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad. | Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up. |
| Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. | If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. |
| Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. | Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies! |
| And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. | And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. |
| The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness. | The lips of the godly speak helpful words, but the mouth of the wicked speaks perverse words. |
| If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. | If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. |
| It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling. | Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling. |
| Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. | Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech. |
| By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. | The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. |
| He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool. | Hiding hatred makes you a liar; slandering others makes you a fool. |
| Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy. | Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice. |
| When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. | When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. |
| Excellent speech becometh not a fool: much less do lying lips a prince. | Eloquent words are not fitting for a fool; even less are lies fitting for a ruler. |
| And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. | Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. |
| For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. | You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. |
