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Read the Bible

King James Version

Psalms 34:13

Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Falsehood;   Longevity;   Quotations and Allusions;   Slander;   Speaking;   Thompson Chain Reference - Evil;   Silence-Speech;   Social Duties;   Speaking, Evil;   Tongue Restrained;   The Topic Concordance - Evil;   Guile;   Speech/communication;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Sincerity;   Slander;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Letters;   Psalms, the Book of;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Abimelech;   Teacher;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Disease;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Tongue;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Abimelech;   Achish;   Acrostic;   David;   English Versions;   Greek Versions of Ot;   Psalms;   Sin;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Commandment;   Tongue;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Abimelech;   Achish;   Lamentations of jeremiah;   Psalms the book of;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Crime;   Guile;   Life;   Slander;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Alexandri;   Calumny;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Keep your tongue from eviland your lips from deceitful speech.
Hebrew Names Version
Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking lies.
English Standard Version
Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.
New Century Version
You must not say evil things, and you must not tell lies.
New English Translation
Then make sure you don't speak evil words or use deceptive speech!
Amplified Bible
Keep your tongue from evil And your lips from speaking deceit.
New American Standard Bible
Keep your tongue from evil And your lips from speaking deceit.
World English Bible
Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking lies.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Keepe thy tongue from euill, and thy lips, that they speake no guile.
Legacy Standard Bible
Guard your tongue from evilAnd your lips from speaking deceit.
Berean Standard Bible
Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful speech.
Contemporary English Version
Then don't say cruel things and don't tell lies.
Complete Jewish Bible
Which of you takes pleasure in living? Who wants a long life to see good things?
Darby Translation
Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile;
Easy-to-Read Version
Then avoid saying anything hurtful, and never let a lie come out of your mouth.
George Lamsa Translation
Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking guile.
Good News Translation
Then keep from speaking evil and from telling lies.
Lexham English Bible
Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.
Literal Translation
Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking guile;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Let him refrayne his tonge from euell, and his lippes that they speake no gyle.
American Standard Version
Keep thy tongue from evil, And thy lips from speaking guile.
Bible in Basic English
Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from words of deceit.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Who is the man that desireth life, and loveth days, that he may see good therein?
King James Version (1611)
Keepe thy tongue from euill, and thy lippes from speaking guile.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Kepe thy tongue from euill: and thy lippes that they speake no guyle.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
English Revised Version
Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forbede thi tunge fro yuel; and thi lippis speke not gile.
Update Bible Version
Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking guile.
Webster's Bible Translation
Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
New King James Version
Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit.
New Living Translation
Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies!
New Life Bible
Keep your tongue from sin and your lips from speaking lies.
New Revised Standard
Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Keep thy tongue from wickedness, And thy lips from speaking deceit:
Douay-Rheims Bible
(33-14) Keep thy tongue form evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
Revised Standard Version
Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.
Young's Literal Translation
Keep thy tongue from evil, And thy lips from speaking deceit.
THE MESSAGE
Guard your tongue from profanity, and no more lying through your teeth.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Keep your tongue from evil And your lips from speaking deceit.

Contextual Overview

11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord . 12 What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? 13 Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. 14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. 15 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. 16 The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. 18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. 20 He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Keep: Psalms 39:1, Proverbs 18:21, Matthew 12:35-37, James 1:19, James 1:26, James 3:2, James 3:5-10

speaking: Psalms 55:11, Proverbs 12:7, Proverbs 12:19, Proverbs 12:22, Proverbs 19:9, Isaiah 63:8, Colossians 3:9, 1 Peter 2:1, 1 Peter 2:22, Revelation 14:4, Revelation 14:5

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 29:8 - that I may not Job 15:13 - and lettest Psalms 15:2 - speaketh

Cross-References

Genesis 34:18
And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor's son.
Genesis 34:20
And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying,
Genesis 34:23
Shall not their cattle and their substance and every beast of their's be our's? only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us.
Genesis 34:24
And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city.
Genesis 34:26
And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went out.
Genesis 34:27
The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister.
Genesis 34:28
They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field,
Genesis 34:29
And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house.
Judges 15:3
And Samson said concerning them, Now shall I be more blameless than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure.
Job 13:4
But ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Keep thy tongue from evil,.... This, and what follows in this verse and Psalms 34:14, point at the things wherein the fear of God shows itself; and suggest, that those who have it, and which is known by these fruits, shall enjoy the desirable and good days before mentioned. The tongue is an instrument of much evil, an unruly member, and needs restraint; and it is from evil, and not from good, it is to be kept; from evil speaking of God, from cursing and swearing; from evil speaking of men, reproaching and reviling them; from filthy speaking, from all obscene and unchaste words, and from all lying ones; for where such evil speaking is indulged, the fear of God cannot be in that man;

and thy lips from speaking guile; hypocritical and deceitful words, speaking with flattering lips and a double heart: some speak bad words in common conversation, through an evil habit and custom; and some speak good words with an ill design; and in neither of them is the fear of God before their eyes, nor in their hearts.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Keep thy tongue from evil - From speaking wrong things. Always give utterance to truth, and truth alone. The meaning is, that this is one of the methods of lengthening out life. To love the truth; to speak the truth; to avoid all falsehood, slander, and deceit, will contribute to this, or will be a means which will tend to prolong life, and to make it happy.

And thy lips from speaking guile - Deceit. Do not “deceive” others by your words. Do not make any statements which are not true, or any promises which you cannot and will not keep. Do not flatter others; and do not give utterance to slander. Be a man characterized by the love of truth: and let all your words convey truth, and truth only. It cannot be doubted that this, like all other virtues, would tend to lengthen life, and to make it prosperous and peaceful. There is no vice which does not tend to abridge human life, as there is no virtue which does not tend to lengthen it. But probably the specific idea here is, that the way to avoid the hostility of other people, and to secure their favor and friendship, is to deal with them truly, and thus to live in peace with them. It is true, also, that God will bless a life of virtue and uprightness, and though there is no absolute certainty that anyone, however virtuous he may be, may not be cut off in early life, yet it is also true that, other things being equal, a man of truth and integrity will be more likely to live long - (as he will be more certain to make the most of life) - than one who is false and corrupt.


 
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