Add parallel Print Page Options

An evildoer heeds wicked lips.
    A liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.

Read full chapter

An (A)evildoer listens to wicked lips;
A [a]liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 17:4 Lit falsehood

Excellent speech isn’t fitting for a fool,
    much less do lying lips fit a prince.

Read full chapter

[a](A)Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool,
Much less are (B)lying lips to a prince.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 17:7 Lit A lip of abundance

20 One who has a perverse heart doesn’t find prosperity,
    and one who has a deceitful tongue falls into trouble.

Read full chapter

20 One who has a crooked [a]mind (A)finds nothing good,
And one who is [b](B)corrupted in his language falls into evil.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 17:20 Lit heart
  2. Proverbs 17:20 Lit altered in his tongue

27 He who spares his words has knowledge.
    He who is even tempered is a man of understanding.
28 Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is counted wise.
    When he shuts his lips, he is thought to be discerning.

Read full chapter

27 One who (A)withholds his words [a]has knowledge,
And one who has a (B)cool spirit is a person of understanding.
28 Even a fool, when he (C)keeps silent, is considered wise;
When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 17:27 Lit knows