American Standard Version of 1901
Versliste
Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer each one.
Who have whet their tongue like a sword,And have aimed their arrows, even bitter words,
And all bare him witness, and wondered at the words of grace which proceeded out of his mouth: and they said, Is not this Joseph's son?
Thou art fairer than the children of men;Grace is poured {Or, upon}into thy lips:Therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.
His cheeks are as a bed of {Or, balsam}spices,As {Or, towers of perfumes}banks of sweet herbs:His lips are as lilies, dropping liquid myrrh.
His {Or, speech Hebrew: palate.}mouth is most sweet;Yea, he is altogether lovely.This is my beloved, and this is my friend,O daughters of Jerusalem.
And out of his mouth proceedeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the {Greek: winepress of the wine of the fierceness.}winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty.
The Lord Jehovah hath given me the tongue of {Or, disciples}them that are taught, that I may know how {Or, to speak a word in season to him &c.}to sustain with words him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as {Or, disciples}they that are taught.
By long forbearing is a {Or, judge}ruler persuaded,And a soft tongue breaketh the bone.
And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with Midian? And they did chide with him sharply.
And he said unto them, What have I now done in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?
God hath delivered into your hand the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison with you? Then their {Hebrew: spirit.}anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.
A soft answer turneth away wrath;But a grievous word stirreth up anger.
And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye saved me not out of their hand.
And when I saw that ye saved me not, I put my life in my hand, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and Jehovah delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?
but {Or, dealing, truly}speaking truth in love, may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, even Christ;
then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth; and he said Sibboleth; for he could not frame to pronounce it right: then they laid hold on him, and slew him at the fords of the Jordan. And there fell at that time of Ephraim forty and two thousand.
Let your {Or, gentleness Compare 2 Corinthians 10:1.}forbearance be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you {Greek: all the days.}always, even unto {Or, the consummation of the age.}the end of the world.
And every oblation of thy meal-offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meal-offering: with all thine oblations thou shalt offer salt.
For every one shall be salted with fire {Many ancient authorities add and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. See Leviticus 2:13.}.
The archers have sorely grieved him,And shot at him, and persecuted him:
who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, threatened not; but committed {Or, his cause}himself to him that judgeth righteously:
Thou knowest my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonor:Mine adversaries are all before thee.
The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue;And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
{Hebrew: The healing of the tongue.}A gentle tongue is a tree of life;But perverseness therein is a breaking of the spirit.
For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.