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The mouths of fools are their ruin;
    their lips are a deadly snare.(A)

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23 Those who guard mouth and tongue
    guard themselves[a] from trouble.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 21:23 Themselves: see note on 13:3. To guard your “self” (lit., “throat,” the moist and breathing center of the body, by metonymy, “life”), you must guard your tongue. Speech in Proverbs is the quintessential human activity and often has a meaning broader than speech alone; it can stand for all human activity. Acting rightly is the best way to protect yourself from evil.