"The Mouth, pt.1" (40 Days of Wisdom for Lent)

Have nothing to do with a corrupt mouth;
keep devious lips far from you.
(Proverbs 4:24 CEB)

Worthless people and guilty people
go around with crooked talk.
(Proverbs 6:12 CEB)

Doesn’t Wisdom cry out
and Understanding shout?
Listen, for I speak things that are correct;
from my lips comes what is right.
All the words of my mouth are righteous;
nothing in them is twisted or crooked.
(Proverbs 8:1,6,8 CEB)

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
Wisdom is found on the lips of those who have understanding,
but there is a rod for the back of those with no sense.
The wise store up knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool brings on ruin.
Lying lips conceal hate,
and those who spread slander are fools.
With lots of words comes wrongdoing,
but the wise restrain their lips.
The tongue of the righteous is choice silver,
but the heart of the wicked lacks value.
The lips of the righteous nourish many people,
but fools who lack sense will die.
The mouth of the righteous flows with wisdom,
but the twisted tongue will be cut off.
The lips of the wise know what is acceptable,
but the mouth of the wicked knows only what is perverse.
(Proverbs 10:11,13-14,18-21,31-32 CEB)

The godless destroy their neighbors by their words,
but the righteous are saved by their knowledge.
A city is honored by the blessing of the virtuous;
it is destroyed by the words of the wicked.
A slanderer walks around revealing secrets,
but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.
(Proverbs 11:9,11,13 CEB)

The words of the wicked are a deathtrap,
but the speech of those who do right rescues them.
The wicked are trapped by the transgressions of their lips,
but the righteous escape from distress.
From the fruit of their speech, people are well satisfied;
their work results in reward.
Those who state the truth speak justly,
but a false witness deceives.
Some chatter on like a stabbing sword,
but a wise tongue heals.
Truthful lips endure forever,
but a lying tongue lasts only for a moment.
The Lord detests false lips;
he favors those who do what is true.
Anxiety leads to depression,
but a good word encourages.
(Proverbs 12:6,13-14,17-19,22,25 CEB)

People eat well from the fruit of their words,
but the treacherous have an appetite only for violence.
People who watch their mouths guard their lives,
but those who open their lips are ruined.
(Proverbs 13:2-3 CEB)

Pride sprouts in the mouth of a fool,
but the lips of the wise protect them.
There is profit in hard work,
but mere talk leads to poverty.
(Proverbs 14:3,23 CEB)

A sensitive answer turns back wrath,
but an offensive word stirs up anger.
The tongue of the wise enhances knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool gushes with stupidity.
Wholesome speech is a tree of life,
but dishonest talk breaks the spirit.
The lips of the wise spread knowledge,
but the hearts of fools have none.
An understanding heart seeks knowledge;
but fools feed on folly.
The Lord detests evil plans,
but gracious words are pure.
The righteous heart reflects before answering,
but the wicked mouth blurts out evil.
To give an appropriate answer is a joy;
how good is a word at the right time!
(Proverbs 15:1-2,4,7,14,26,28,23 CEB)