Proverbs 6:12

The Message

Swindlers and scoundrels talk out of both sides of their mouths. They wink at each other, they shuffle their feet, they cross their fingers behind their backs. Their perverse minds are always cooking up something nasty, always stirring up trouble. Catastrophe is just around the corner for them, a total wreck, their lives ruined beyond repair.

Cross References

Psalm 10:3

The wicked are windbags, the swindlers have foul breath. The wicked snub God, their noses stuck high in the air. Their graffiti are scrawled on the walls: “Catch us if you can!” “God is dead.”

Psalm 10:7

They carry a mouthful of spells, their tongues spit venom like adders. They hide behind ordinary people, then pounce on their victims.

Proverbs 10:32

The speech of a good person clears the air; the words of the wicked pollute it.

Proverbs 11:6

Good character is the best insurance; crooks get trapped in their sinful lust.

Proverbs 16:27

Mean people spread mean gossip; their words smart and burn.

Proverbs 16:30

A shifty eye betrays an evil intention; a clenched jaw signals trouble ahead.

Proverbs 17:4

Evil people relish malicious conversation; the ears of liars itch for dirty gossip.

Matthew 12:34

“You have minds like a snake pit! How do you suppose what you say is worth anything when you are so foul-minded? It’s your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words. A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. An evil person is a blight on the orchard. Let me tell you something: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation.”

1 Samuel 17:28

Eliab, his older brother, heard David fraternizing with the men and lost his temper: “What are you doing here! Why aren’t you minding your own business, tending that scrawny flock of sheep? I know what you’re up to. You’ve come down here to see the sights, hoping for a ringside seat at a bloody battle!”