For the Lord gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding!
Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

Put away from you a deceitful mouth
And put devious speech far from you.

Now then, my sons, listen to me
And do not depart from the words of my mouth.

If you have been snared with the words of your mouth,
Have been caught with the words of your mouth,

A worthless person, a wicked man,
Is the one who walks with a perverse mouth,

Now therefore, my sons, listen to me,
And pay attention to the words of my mouth.

“For my mouth will utter truth;
And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

“All the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness;
There is nothing crooked or perverted in them.

“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And the perverted mouth, I hate.

Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

Wise men store up knowledge,
But with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.

The mouth of the righteous flows with wisdom,
But the perverted tongue will be cut out.

The lips of the righteous bring forth what is acceptable,
But the mouth of the wicked what is perverted.

With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor,
But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.

By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.

The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
But the mouth of the upright will deliver them.

From the fruit of a man’s mouth he enjoys good,
But the desire of the treacherous is violence.

The one who guards his mouth preserves his life;
The one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his back,
But the lips of the wise will protect them.

The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable,
But the mouth of fools spouts folly.

The mind of the intelligent seeks knowledge,
But the mouth of fools feeds on folly.

The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer,
But the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.

A divine decision is in the lips of the king;
His mouth should not err in judgment.

The heart of the wise instructs his mouth
And adds persuasiveness to his lips.

The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;
The fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.

A fool’s lips bring strife,
And his mouth calls for blows.

A fool’s mouth is his ruin,
And his lips are the snare of his soul.

With the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach will be satisfied;
He will be satisfied with the product of his lips.

The sluggard buries his hand in the dish,
But will not even bring it back to his mouth.

A rascally witness makes a mockery of justice,
And the mouth of the wicked spreads iniquity.

Bread obtained by falsehood is sweet to a man,
But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.

He who guards his mouth and his tongue,
Guards his soul from troubles.

The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit;
He who is cursed of the Lord will fall into it.

Wisdom is too exalted for a fool,
He does not open his mouth in the gate.

Like the legs which are useless to the lame,
So is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

Like a thorn which falls into the hand of a drunkard,
So is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

The sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
He is weary of bringing it to his mouth again.

A lying tongue hates those it crushes,
And a flattering mouth works ruin.

Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;
A stranger, and not your own lips.

This is the way of an adulterous woman:
She eats and wipes her mouth,
And says, “I have done no wrong.”

If you have been foolish in exalting yourself
Or if you have plotted evil, put your hand on your mouth.

Open your mouth for the mute,
For the rights of all the unfortunate.

Open your mouth, judge righteously,
And defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.

She opens her mouth in wisdom,
And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.