Therefore, may my advice be pleasing to you, O king. Break away from your sins by doing what is right, and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed. Perhaps there will be an extension of your prosperity.”
The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the speech of the upright rescues them. ... Speaking rashly is like a piercing sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool spouts folly. ... The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked blurts out evil.
A fool’s lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating. A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul. The words of a gossip are like choice morsels that go down into the inmost being.