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Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

Proverbs 21:23

Watch your words and hold your tongue; you'll save yourself a lot of grief.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Prudence;   Speaking;   Tongue;   Thompson Chain Reference - Evil;   Silence-Speech;   Social Duties;   Speaking, Evil;   Tongue Restrained;   The Topic Concordance - Speech/communication;   Trouble;  

Dictionaries:

- Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Pardon;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Proverbs, Book of;   Tongue;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Poetry, Hebrew;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Shirah, Pereḳ (Pirḳe);  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for January 16;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The one who guards his mouth and tonguekeeps himself out of trouble.
Hebrew Names Version
Whoever guards his mouth and his tongue Keeps his soul from troubles.
King James Version
Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.
English Standard Version
Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.
New American Standard Bible
One who guards his mouth and his tongue, Guards his soul from troubles.
New Century Version
Those who are careful about what they say keep themselves out of trouble.
Amplified Bible
He who guards his mouth and his tongue Guards himself from troubles.
World English Bible
Whoever guards his mouth and his tongue Keeps his soul from troubles.
Geneva Bible (1587)
He that keepeth his mouth and his tongue, keepeth his soule from afflictions.
Legacy Standard Bible
He who keeps his mouth and his tongue,Keeps his soul from troubles.
Berean Standard Bible
He who guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from distress.
Contemporary English Version
Watching what you say can save you a lot of trouble.
Complete Jewish Bible
Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps himself out of trouble.
Darby Translation
Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.
Easy-to-Read Version
People who are careful about what they say will save themselves from trouble.
George Lamsa Translation
He who keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from trouble.
Good News Translation
If you want to stay out of trouble, be careful what you say.
Lexham English Bible
He who guards his mouth and his tongue, he guards his life from danger.
Literal Translation
Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from distresses.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Who so kepeth his mouth and his tonge, the same kepeth his soule from troubles.
American Standard Version
Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue Keepeth his soul from troubles.
Bible in Basic English
He who keeps watch over his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from troubles.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.
King James Version (1611)
Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue, keepeth his soule from troubles.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Who so kepeth his mouth and his tongue, the same kepeth his soule from troubles.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
He that keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from trouble.
English Revised Version
Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
He that kepith his mouth and his tunge, kepith his soule from angwischis.
Update Bible Version
Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue Keeps his soul from troubles.
Webster's Bible Translation
Whoever keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.
New English Translation
The one who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps his life from troubles.
New King James Version
Whoever guards his mouth and tongue Keeps his soul from troubles.
New Living Translation
Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.
New Life Bible
He who watches over his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from troubles.
New Revised Standard
To watch over mouth and tongue is to keep out of trouble.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
He that keepeth his mouth and his tongue, keepeth, out of distresses, his soul.
Douay-Rheims Bible
He that keepeth his mouth and his tongue, keepeth his soul from distress.
Revised Standard Version
He who keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.
Young's Literal Translation
Whoso is keeping his mouth and his tongue, Is keeping from adversities his soul.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
He who guards his mouth and his tongue, Guards his soul from troubles.

Contextual Overview

23 Watch your words and hold your tongue; you'll save yourself a lot of grief.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Proverbs 10:19, Proverbs 12:13, Proverbs 13:3, Proverbs 17:27, Proverbs 17:28, Proverbs 18:21, James 1:26, James 3:2-13

Reciprocal: Psalms 39:1 - that I Proverbs 10:14 - the mouth Proverbs 19:16 - keepeth his James 1:19 - slow to speak

Cross-References

Genesis 20:14
Then Abimelech gave Sarah back to Abraham, and along with her sent sheep and cattle and servants, both male and female. He said, "My land is open to you; live wherever you wish."
Genesis 21:22
At about that same time, Abimelech and the captain of his troops, Phicol, spoke to Abraham: "No matter what you do, God is on your side. So swear to me that you won't do anything underhanded to me or any of my family. For as long as you live here, swear that you'll treat me and my land as well as I've treated you."
Genesis 26:28
They said, "We've realized that God is on your side. We'd like to make a deal between us—a covenant that we maintain friendly relations. We haven't bothered you in the past; we treated you kindly and let you leave us in peace. So— God 's blessing be with you!"
Deuteronomy 6:13
Deeply respect God , your God. Serve and worship him exclusively. Back up your promises with his name only. Don't fool around with other gods, the gods of your neighbors, because God , your God, who is alive among you is a jealous God. Don't provoke him, igniting his hot anger that would burn you right off the face of the Earth. Don't push God , your God, to the wall as you did that day at Massah, the Testing-Place. Carefully keep the commands of God , your God, all the requirements and regulations he gave you. Do what is right; do what is good in God 's sight so you'll live a good life and be able to march in and take this pleasant land that God so solemnly promised through your ancestors, throwing out your enemies left and right—exactly as God said.
Joshua 2:12
"Now promise me by God . I showed you mercy; now show my family mercy. And give me some tangible proof, a guarantee of life for my father and mother, my brothers and sisters—everyone connected with my family. Save our souls from death!"
1 Samuel 20:42
Jonathan said, "Go in peace! The two of us have vowed friendship in God 's name, saying, ‘ God will be the bond between me and you, and between my children and your children forever!'"
1 Samuel 30:15
David asked him, "Can you take us to the raiders?" "Promise me by God," he said, "that you won't kill me or turn me over to my old master, and I'll take you straight to the raiders."
2 Corinthians 1:23
Now, are you ready for the real reason I didn't visit you in Corinth? As God is my witness, the only reason I didn't come was to spare you pain. I was being considerate of you, not indifferent, not manipulative.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue,.... Guards the one and bridles the other; is careful of what he says, that it is truth, and without dissimulation and guile; and is not injurious to the characters of men, and is not offensive and provoking; who abstains from ill and wrathful language, and which tends to stir up wrath and contention. Aben Ezra distinguishes between the mouth and tongue, and interprets it, that keeps his mouth from eating, that is, immoderately and intemperately; and his tongue from speaking evil: but it is best to understand both of the same thing, of speech or language, which when a man is careful of, he

keepeth his soul from troubles; his conscience clear of guilt and distress, and his person from being concerned in quarrels, contentions, and lawsuits, which such who give their tongues too much liberty are involved in.


 
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