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Their tongues sting like a snake;
    the venom of a viper drips from their lips. Interlude

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They make their tongues as sharp as(A) a serpent’s;
    the poison of vipers(B) is on their lips.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 140:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 5 and 8.

They spit venom like deadly snakes;
    they are like cobras that refuse to listen,

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Their venom is like the venom of a snake,(A)
    like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears,

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But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.

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But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning,(A) your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

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13 “Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.
    Their tongues are filled with lies.”
“Snake venom drips from their lips.”[a]
14     “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”[b]

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Footnotes

  1. 3:13 Pss 5:9 (Greek version); 140:3.
  2. 3:14 Ps 10:7 (Greek version).

13 “Their throats are open graves;
    their tongues practice deceit.”[a](A)
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”[b](B)
14     “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”[c](C)

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 3:13 Psalm 5:9
  2. Romans 3:13 Psalm 140:3
  3. Romans 3:14 Psalm 10:7 (see Septuagint)

32 For in the end it bites like a poisonous snake;
    it stings like a viper.

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32 In the end it bites like a snake
    and poisons like a viper.

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I am surrounded by fierce lions
    who greedily devour human prey—
whose teeth pierce like spears and arrows,
    and whose tongues cut like swords.

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I am in the midst of lions;(A)
    I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts—
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
    whose tongues are sharp swords.(B)

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And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.[a]

People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison.

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Footnotes

  1. 3:6 Or for it will burn in hell (Greek Gehenna).

The tongue also is a fire,(A) a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body,(B) sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.(C)

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.(D)

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34 You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say.

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34 You brood of vipers,(A) how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks(B) what the heart is full of.

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They all fool and defraud each other;
    no one tells the truth.
With practiced tongues they tell lies;
    they wear themselves out with all their sinning.

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Friend deceives friend,(A)
    and no one speaks the truth.(B)
They have taught their tongues to lie;(C)
    they weary themselves with sinning.

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Judgment for Disobedience

“My people bend their tongues like bows
    to shoot out lies.
They refuse to stand up for the truth.
    They only go from bad to worse.
They do not know me,”
    says the Lord.

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“They make ready their tongue
    like a bow, to shoot lies;(A)
it is not by truth
    that they triumph[a] in the land.
They go from one sin to another;
    they do not acknowledge(B) me,”
declares the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 9:3 Or lies; / they are not valiant for truth

13 We know we have rebelled and have denied the Lord.
    We have turned our backs on our God.
We know how unfair and oppressive we have been,
    carefully planning our deceitful lies.

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13 rebellion(A) and treachery against the Lord,
    turning our backs(B) on our God,
inciting revolt and oppression,(C)
    uttering lies(D) our hearts have conceived.

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Your hands are the hands of murderers,
    and your fingers are filthy with sin.
Your lips are full of lies,
    and your mouth spews corruption.

No one cares about being fair and honest.
    The people’s lawsuits are based on lies.
They conceive evil deeds
    and then give birth to sin.
They hatch deadly snakes
    and weave spiders’ webs.
Whoever eats their eggs will die;
    whoever cracks them will hatch a viper.

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For your hands are stained with blood,(A)
    your fingers with guilt.(B)
Your lips have spoken falsely,(C)
    and your tongue mutters wicked things.
No one calls for justice;(D)
    no one pleads a case with integrity.
They rely(E) on empty arguments, they utter lies;(F)
    they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.(G)
They hatch the eggs of vipers(H)
    and spin a spider’s web.(I)
Whoever eats their eggs will die,
    and when one is broken, an adder is hatched.

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18 Some people make cutting remarks,
    but the words of the wise bring healing.

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18 The words of the reckless pierce like swords,(A)
    but the tongue of the wise brings healing.(B)

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