880 verses about Speaking

Be not a hypocrite in the mouths of men; And take good heed to your lips.

Incline your ear to a poor man, And answer him with peaceful words in meekness.

Refrain not speech, when it tendeth to safety; And hide not your wisdom for the sake of fair-seeming.

For by speech wisdom will be known; And instruction by the word of the tongue.

Speak not against the truth; And be abashed for your ignorance.

Be not hasty in your tongue, And in your deeds slack and remiss.

Be stedfast in your understanding; And let your word be one.

Be swift to hear; And with patience make your answer.

If you have understanding, answer your neighbor; And if not, let your hand be upon your mouth.

Glory and dishonor is in talk: And the tongue of a man is his fall.

Be not called a whisperer; And lie not in wait with your tongue: For upon the thief there is shame, And an evil condemnation upon him that has a double tongue.

Sweet words will multiply a man’s friends; And a fair-speaking tongue will multiply courtesies.

Prate not in the multitude of elders; And repeat not your words in your prayer.

Contend not with a man that is full of tongue, And heap not wood upon his fire.

Rise not up from the presence of an insolent man, Lest he lie in wait as an ambush for your mouth.

For the hand of the artificers a work will be commended: And he that rules the people will be counted wise for his speech.

A man full of tongue is dangerous in his city; And he that is headlong in his speech will be hated.

Answer not before you have heard; And interrupt not in the midst of speech.

He that keeps not to himself words spoken is unmerciful; And he will not spare to hurt and to bind.

A rich man speaks, and all keep silence; And what he says they extol to the clouds: A poor man speaks, and they say, Who is this? And if he stumble, they will help to overthrow him.

Blessed is the man that has not slipped with his mouth, And is not pricked with sorrow for sins.

And she will exalt him above his neighbors; And in the midst of the congregation will she open his mouth.

Shall not the dew assuage the scorching heat? So is a word better than a gift.

Behold, is not a word better than a gift? And both are with a gracious man.

Learn before you speak; And have a care of your health or ever you be sick.

They that were of understanding in sayings became also wise themselves, And poured forth apt proverbs.

And he that hates talk has the less wickedness.

Never repeat what is told you, And you will fare never the worse.

Whether it be of friend or foe, tell it not; And unless it is a sin to you, reveal it not.

Hast you heard a word? let it die with you: Be of good courage, it will not burst you.

A fool will travail in pain with a word, As a woman in labor with a child.

As an arrow that sticks in the flesh of the thigh, So is a word in a fool’s belly.

Reprove your neighbor; it may be he said it not: And if he has said it, that he may not say it again.

There is one that slips, and not from the heart: And who is he that has not sinned with his tongue?

There is a reproof that is not comely; And there is a man that keeps silence, and he is wise.

There is one that keeps silence, and is found wise; And there is one that is hated for his much talk.

There is one that keeps silence, for he has no answer to make; And there is that keeps silence, as knowing his time.

A wise man will be silent till his time come; But the braggart and fool will overpass his time.

He that uses many words will be abhorred; And he that takes to himself authority therein will be hated.

He that is wise in words will make himself beloved; But the pleasantries of fools will be wasted.

A slip on a pavement is better than a slip with the tongue; So the fall of the wicked will come speedily.

A man without grace is as a tale out of season: It will be continually in the mouth of the ignorant.

A wise sentence from a fool’s mouth will be rejected; For he will not speak it in its season.

A lie is a foul blot in a man: It will be continually in the mouth of the ignorant.

The disposition of a liar is dishonor; And his shame is with him continually.

He that is wise in words will advance himself; And one that is prudent will please great men.

Better is a man that hides his folly Than a man that hides his wisdom.

He that is mighty in tongue is known afar off: But the man of understanding knows when he slips.

The discourse of a fool is like a burden in the way; But grace will be found on the lips of the wise.

The mouth of the prudent man will be sought for in the congregation; And they will ponder his words in their heart.

The lips of strangers will be grieved at these things; But the words of prudent men will be weighed in the balance.

The heart of fools is in their mouth; But the mouth of wise men is their heart.

Unseasonable discourse is as music in mourning; But stripes and correction are wisdom at every season.

If you have opened your mouth against a friend, fear not; For there may be a reconciling; Except it be for upbraiding, and arrogance, and disclosing of a secret, and a treacherous blow: For these things every friend will flee.

Before fire is the vapor and smoke of a furnace; So revilings before bloodshed.

Who shall set a watch over my mouth, And a seal of shrewdness upon my lips, That I fall not from it, and that my tongue destroy me not?

Hear you⌃, my children, the discipline of the mouth; And he that keeps it will not be taken.

The sinner will be overtaken in his lips; And the reviler and the proud man will stumble therein.

Accustom not your mouth to an oath; And be not accustomed to the naming of the Holy One.

For as a servant that is continually scourged will not lack a bruise, So he also that swears and names God continually will not be cleansed from sin.

There is a manner of speech that is clothed about with death: Let it not be found in the heritage of Jacob; For all these things will be far from the godly, And they will not wallow in sins.

Accustom not your mouth to gross rudeness, For therein is the word of sin.

A man that is accustomed to words of reproach Will not be corrected all the days of his life.

Give not water an outlet; Neither to a wicked woman freedom of speech.

A grief of heart and sorrow is a woman that is jealous of another woman, And the scourge of a tongue communicating to all.

Praise no man before you hear him reason; For this is the trial of men.

The discourse of a godly man is always wisdom: But the foolish man changes as the moon.

The discourse of fools is an offence; And their laughter is in the wantonness of sin.

The talk of a man of many oaths will make the hair stand upright; And their strife makes one stop his ears.

The strife of the proud is a shedding of blood; And their reviling of each other is a grievous thing to hear.

When you are present, he will speak sweetly, And will admire your words; But afterward he will writhe his mouth, And set a trap for you in your words.

If you blow a spark, it will burn; And if you spit upon it, it will be quenched: And both these shall come out of your mouth.

Curse the whisperer and double-tongued: For he has destroyed many that were at peace.

A third person’s tongue has shaken many, And dispersed them from nation to nation; And it has pulled down strong cities, And overthrown the houses of great men.

He that hearkens to it will not find rest, Nor shall he dwell quietly.

The stroke of a whip makes a mark in the flesh; But the stroke of a tongue will break bones.

Many have fallen by the edge of the sword: Yet not so many as those who have fallen because of the tongue.

And make a balance and a weight for your words; And make a door and a bar for your mouth.

Rebuke not your neighbor at a banquet of wine, Neither set him at nothing in his mirth: Speak not to him a word of reproach, And press not upon him by asking back a debt.

Speak, you that are the elder, for it becomes you, but with sound knowledge; And hinder not music.

Pour not out talk where there is a performance of music, And display not your wisdom out of season.

Speak, young man, if there be need of you; Yet scarcely if you be twice asked.

Sum up your speech, many things in few words; Be as one that knows and yet holds his tongue.

If you be among great men, behave not as their equal; And when another is speaking, make not much babbling.

There take your pastime, and do what is in your heart; And sin not by proud speech:

Prepare your speech, and so shall you be heard; Bind up instruction, and make your answer.

Hear me, you⌃ great men of the people, And hearken with your ears, you⌃ rulers of the congregation.

The mouth tastes meats taken in hunting: So does an understanding heart false speeches.

four manner of things do rise up, Good and evil, life and death; And that which rules over them continually is the tongue.

There is one that is subtle in words, and is hated; He shall be destitute of all food:

There is one that is wise to his own soul; And the fruits of his understanding are trustworthy in the mouth.

The pipe and the lute make pleasant melody; And a pleasant tongue is above both.

Better is a man that hides his foolishness Than a man that hides his wisdom.

Of repeating and speaking what you have heard; And of revealing of secrets.

For your songs and proverbs and parables, And for your interpretations, the countries marveled at you.

The Lord gave me a tongue for my reward; And I will praise him therewith.

Then all the people turned them toward him, and said, What mean these words that you have spoken?

But if you⌃ can show me that Bel devours them, then Daniel shall die: for he has spoken blasphemy against Bel. And Daniel said to the king, Let it be according to your word.

And he wrote letters, and sent them to him, according to these words, saying,

and do you, since you have been scourged from heaven, publish to all men the sovereign majesty of God. And when they had spoken these words, they vanished out of sight.