(A)A fool’s mouth is his destruction,
And his lips are the snare of his (B)soul.

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(A)He who guards his mouth preserves his life,
But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.

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13 (A)The wicked is ensnared by the transgression of his lips,
(B)But the righteous will come through trouble.

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14 Wise people store up knowledge,
But (A)the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.

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As for the head of those who surround me,
Let the evil of their lips cover them;

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So He will make them stumble over their own tongue;
(A)All who see them shall flee away.

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14 They came to the chief priests and (A)elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great oath that we will eat nothing until we have killed Paul. 15 Now you, therefore, together with the council, suggest to the commander that he be brought down to you [a]tomorrow, as though you were going to make further inquiries concerning him; but we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

16 So when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their ambush, he went and entered the barracks and told Paul. 17 Then Paul called one of the centurions to him and said, “Take this young man to the commander, for he has something to tell him.” 18 So he took him and brought him to the commander and said, “Paul the prisoner called me to him and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to say to you.”

19 Then the commander took him by the hand, went aside, and asked privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?”

20 And he said, (B)“The Jews have agreed to ask that you bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire more fully about him. 21 But do not yield to them, for more than forty of them lie in wait for him, men who have bound themselves by an oath that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him; and now they are ready, waiting for the promise from you.”

22 So the commander let the young man depart, and commanded him, “Tell no one that you have revealed these things to me.”

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 23:15 NU omits tomorrow

11 A serpent may bite (A)when it is not charmed;
The [a]babbler is no different.
12 (B)The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious,
But (C)the lips of a fool shall swallow him up;
13 The words of his mouth begin with foolishness,
And the end of his talk is raving madness.
14 (D)A fool also multiplies words.
No man knows what is to be;
Who can tell him (E)what will be after him?

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Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 10:11 Lit. master of the tongue

You are snared by the words of your mouth;
You are taken by the words of your mouth.

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23 He also swore to her, (A)“Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”

24 So she went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask?”

And she said, “The head of John the Baptist!”

25 Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

26 (B)And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her. 27 Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought. And he went and beheaded him in prison, 28 brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.

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The wise in heart will receive commands,
(A)But [a]a prating fool will [b]fall.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:8 Lit. the foolish of lips
  2. Proverbs 10:8 be thrust down or ruined

35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he (A)tore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low! You are among those who trouble me! For I (B)have [a]given my word to the Lord, and (C)I cannot [b]go back on it.”

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Footnotes

  1. Judges 11:35 Lit. opened my mouth
  2. Judges 11:35 Lit. take it back

Saul’s Rash Oath

24 And the men of Israel were distressed that day, for Saul had (A)placed the people under oath, saying, “Cursed is the man who eats any food until evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies.” So none of the people tasted food. 25 (B)Now all the people of the land came to a forest; and there was (C)honey on the ground. 26 And when the people had come into the woods, there was the honey, dripping; but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath. 27 But Jonathan had not heard his father charge the people with the oath; therefore he stretched out the end of the rod that was in his hand and dipped it in a honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his [a]countenance brightened. 28 Then one of the people said, “Your father strictly charged the people with an oath, saying, ‘Cursed is the man who eats food this day.’ ” And the people were faint.

29 But Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. Look now, how my countenance has brightened because I tasted a little of this honey. 30 How much better if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found! For now would there not have been a much greater slaughter among the Philistines?”

31 Now they had [b]driven back the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. So the people were very faint. 32 And the people rushed on the [c]spoil, and took sheep, oxen, and calves, and slaughtered them on the ground; and the people ate them (D)with the blood. 33 Then they told Saul, saying, “Look, the people are sinning against the Lord by eating with the blood!”

So he said, “You have dealt treacherously; roll a large stone to me this day.” 34 Then Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among the people, and say to them, ‘Bring me here every man’s ox and every man’s sheep, slaughter them here, and eat; and do not sin against the Lord by eating with the blood.’ ” So every one of the people brought his ox with him that night, and slaughtered it there. 35 Then Saul (E)built an altar to the Lord. This was the first altar that he built to the Lord.

36 Now Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and plunder them until the morning light; and let us not leave a man of them.”

And they said, “Do whatever seems good to you.”

Then the priest said, “Let us draw near to God here.”

37 So Saul (F)asked counsel of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You deliver them into the hand of Israel?” But (G)He did not answer him that day. 38 And Saul said, (H)“Come over here, all you chiefs of the people, and know and see what this sin was today. 39 For (I)as the Lord lives, who saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die.” But not a man among all the people answered him. 40 Then he said to all Israel, “You be on one side, and my son Jonathan and I will be on the other side.”

And the people said to Saul, “Do what seems good to you.”

41 Therefore Saul said to the Lord God of Israel, (J)“Give[d] a perfect lot.(K)So Saul and Jonathan were taken, but the people escaped. 42 And Saul said, “Cast lots between my son Jonathan and me.” So Jonathan was taken. 43 Then Saul said to Jonathan, (L)“Tell me what you have done.”

And Jonathan told him, and said, (M)“I only tasted a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand. So now I must die!”

44 Saul answered, (N)“God do so and more also; (O)for you shall surely die, Jonathan.”

45 But the people said to Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, who has accomplished this great deliverance in Israel? Certainly not! (P)As the Lord lives, not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has worked (Q)with God this day.” So the people rescued Jonathan, and he did not die.

46 Then Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 14:27 Lit. eyes
  2. 1 Samuel 14:31 Lit. struck
  3. 1 Samuel 14:32 plunder
  4. 1 Samuel 14:41 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Vg. Why do You not answer Your servant today? If the injustice is with me or Jonathan my son, O Lord God of Israel, give proof; and if You say it is with Your people Israel, give holiness.

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