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The lips of fools walk into a fight,
    and their mouths are asking for a beating.[a]
The mouths of fools are their ruin;
    their lips are a deadly snare.(A)
The words of a talebearer are like dainty morsels:
    they sink into one’s inmost being.(B)

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Footnotes

  1. 18:6 The bold personification of lips and mouth is similar to Ps 73:9, “They set their mouths against the heavens, their tongues roam the earth.” Careless words can lead one into serious trouble.

The lips of fools bring them strife,
    and their mouths invite a beating.(A)

The mouths of fools are their undoing,
    and their lips are a snare(B) to their very lives.(C)

The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
    they go down to the inmost parts.(D)

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