| And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. | When you pray do not go on babbling endlessly as the pagans do, for they believe that they are more likely to be heard because of their many words. |
| Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. | Pleasing words are like a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and affording health to the body. |
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| Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. | Give thanks to the Lord, invoke his name; proclaim his deeds among the peoples. |
| So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. | So shall my word be that issues forth from my mouth. It will not return to me unfulfilled, but it will accomplish my purpose and achieve what I sent it forth to do. |
| Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. | A fool takes no pleasure in understanding but only delights in expressing his own opinions. |
| May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. | Let the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart find favor in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. |
| Save me, Lord, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues. | Deliver me, O Lord, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues. |
| With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors, but through knowledge the righteous escape. | With his mouth the godless man seeks to ruin his neighbor, but knowledge enables the righteous to be delivered. |
| The lips of fools bring them strife, and their mouths invite a beating. | The lips of a fool cause strife, and his mouth provokes a flogging. |
| Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up. | Anxiety in the human heart weighs it down, but a kind word makes it glad. |
| All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. | Diligent labor always yields profit, but idle conversation only leads to poverty. |
| If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. | If in speaking I use human tongues and angelic as well, but do not have love, I am nothing more than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. |
| Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. | Then keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. |
| Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. | If anyone thinks that he is religious but does not restrain his tongue, he is deceiving himself, and his religion is worthless. |
| And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. | And whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. |
| The lips of the righteous know what finds favor, but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse. | The lips of the righteous utter words of kindness, but the mouth of the wicked knows only how to pervert. |
| It is to one’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel. | It is honorable to avoid strife, but every fool is quarrelsome. |
| Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. | When they arrest you and bring you to trial, do not be concerned beforehand about what you are to say. Simply say whatever is given to you when that time comes, for it will not be you who speak but the Holy Spirit. |
| Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. | Take no part in the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather seek to expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of what deeds people do in secret. |
| When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. | As long as I remained silent, my body wasted away as the result of my groaning throughout the day. |
| Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. | A word is not even on my tongue and you, O Lord, are completely aware of it. |
| Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. | Speak out and pronounce righteous judgments; defend the rights of the wretched and the poor. |
| Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. | Turn away from the mouth that deceives and keep your distance from lips that mislead. |
| Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool— how much worse lying lips to a ruler! | Fine words are not becoming to a fool, and much less are false words to a noble. |
| The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value. | The tongue of the just man is like pure silver; the heart of the wicked is without worth. |
