Proverbs 10:11-21

New American Standard Bible

¹¹The ^(A)mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
But ^(B)the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
¹²Hatred stirs up strife,
But ^(C)love covers all offenses.
¹³On ^(D)the lips of the discerning, wisdom is found,
But ^(E)a rod is for the back of him who has no ^[a]sense.
¹⁴Wise people ^(F)store up knowledge,
But with ^(G)the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.
¹⁵The ^(H)rich person’s wealth is his ^[b]fortress,
The ^(I)ruin of the poor is their poverty.
¹⁶The ^[c]^(J)wages of the righteous is life,
The income of the wicked, punishment.
¹⁷One who ^(K)is on the path of life follows instruction,
But one who ignores a rebuke goes astray.
¹⁸One ^(L)who conceals hatred has lying lips,
And one who spreads slander is a fool.
¹⁹When there are ^(M)many words, wrongdoing is unavoidable,
But ^(N)one who restrains his lips is wise.
²⁰The tongue of the righteous is like ^(O)choice silver,
The heart of the wicked is worth little.
²¹The ^(P)lips of the righteous feed many,
But fools ^(Q)die for lack of ^[d]understanding.

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Footnotes

Proverbs 10:13 Lit heart
Proverbs 10:15 Lit strong city
Proverbs 10:16 Or work
Proverbs 10:21 Lit heart

Proverbs 15:1-7

New American Standard Bible

Contrast of the Upright and the Wicked

15 A ^(A)gentle answer turns away wrath,
But a ^[a]^(B)harsh word stirs up anger.
²The ^(C)tongue of the wise makes knowledge pleasant,
But the ^(D)mouth of fools spouts foolishness.
³The ^(E)eyes of the Lord are in every place,
Watching the evil and the good.
⁴A ^[b]soothing tongue is a tree of life,
But perversion in it ^[c]crushes the spirit.
⁵A fool ^[d]rejects his father’s discipline,
But he who complies with rebuke is sensible.
⁶Great wealth is in the house of the ^(F)righteous,
But trouble is in the income of the wicked.
⁷The lips of the wise spread knowledge,
But the hearts of fools are not so.

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Footnotes

Proverbs 15:1 Lit painful
Proverbs 15:4 Lit healing
Proverbs 15:4 Lit is the crushing of the spirit
Proverbs 15:5 Or despises

James 3:1-12

New American Standard Bible

The Tongue Is a Fire

3 ^(A)Do not become teachers in large numbers, ^(B)my brothers, since you know that we who are teachers will incur a ^[a]stricter judgment. ²For we all ^(C)stumble in many ways. ^(D)If anyone does not stumble in ^[b]what he says, he is a ^(E)perfect man, able to ^[c]^(F)rein in the whole body as well. ³Now ^(G)if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their whole body as well. ⁴Look at the ships too: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are nevertheless directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot determines. ⁵So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it ^(H)boasts of great things.

^(I)See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! ⁶And ^(J)the tongue is a fire, the very world of unrighteousness; the tongue is set among ^[d]our body’s parts as that which ^(K)defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of our ^[e]life, and is set on fire by ^[f]^(L)hell. ⁷For every ^[g]species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human ^[h]race. ⁸But no one among mankind can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil, full of ^(M)deadly poison. ⁹With it we bless ^(N)our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people, ^(O)who have been made in the likeness of God; ¹⁰from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way. ¹¹Does a spring send out from the same opening both ^[i]fresh and bitter water? ¹²^(P)Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, bear olives, or a vine bear figs? Nor can salt water produce ^[j]fresh.