20 The tongue of the righteous is (A)choice silver;
    the heart of the wicked is of little worth.
21 The lips of the righteous feed many,
    but fools die for (B)lack of sense.

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20 The words of the godly are like sterling silver;
    the heart of a fool is worthless.

21 The words of the godly encourage many,
    but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense.

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31 (A)The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
    but the perverse tongue will be cut off.
32 The lips of the righteous (B)know what is acceptable,
    but the mouth of the wicked, (C)what is perverse.

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31 The mouth of the godly person gives wise advice,
    but the tongue that deceives will be cut off.

32 The lips of the godly speak helpful words,
    but the mouth of the wicked speaks perverse words.

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11 By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
    but (A)by the mouth of the wicked (B)it is overthrown.

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11 Upright citizens are good for a city and make it prosper,
    but the talk of the wicked tears it apart.

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13 An evil man is ensnared (A)by the transgression of his lips,[a]
    (B)but the righteous escapes from trouble.
14 From the fruit of his mouth (C)a man is satisfied with good,
    (D)and the work of a man's hand comes back to him.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:13 Or In the transgression of the lips, there is an evil snare

13 The wicked are trapped by their own words,
    but the godly escape such trouble.

14 Wise words bring many benefits,
    and hard work brings rewards.

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From the fruit of his mouth a man (A)eats what is good,
    but the desire of the treacherous (B)is for violence.

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Wise words will win you a good meal,
    but treacherous people have an appetite for violence.

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28 The heart of the righteous (A)ponders how to answer,
    but (B)the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.

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28 The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking;
    the mouth of the wicked overflows with evil words.

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An evildoer listens to wicked lips,
    and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.

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Wrongdoers eagerly listen to gossip;
    liars pay close attention to slander.

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