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27 Idle hands are the devil’s workshop; idle lips are his mouthpiece.[a]

28 An evil man sows strife; gossip separates the best of friends.

29 Wickedness loves company—and leads others into sin.[b]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 16:27 Idle hands are the devil’s workshop; idle lips are his mouthpiece, literally, “A worthless man devises mischief; and in his lips there is a scorching fire.”
  2. Proverbs 16:29 Wickedness loves company—and leads others into sin, or “An evil man deceives his neighbor and leads him into loss.”

27 A scoundrel(A) plots evil,
    and on their lips it is like a scorching fire.(B)

28 A perverse person stirs up conflict,(C)
    and a gossip separates close friends.(D)

29 A violent person entices their neighbor
    and leads them down a path that is not good.(E)

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