To keep you from the way of evil and the evil man,
From the man who speaks perverse things;

For the devious are repulsive to the Lord;
But His private counsel is with the upright [those with spiritual integrity and moral courage].

A worthless person, a wicked man,
Is one who walks with a perverse (corrupt, vulgar) mouth.

The mouth of the righteous flows with [skillful and godly] wisdom,
But the perverted tongue will be cut out.

A man will be commended according to his insight and sound judgment,
But the one who is of a perverse mind will be despised.

A perverse man spreads strife,
And one who gossips separates intimate friends.

He who [slyly] winks his eyes does so to plot perverse things;
And he who compresses his lips [as if in a secret signal] brings evil to pass.

Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity
Than a [rich] man who is twisted in his speech and is a [shortsighted] fool.