24
The vapor and smoke of the furnace precede the fire; so insults precede bloodshed.
25
I am not ashamed to shelter a friend, and I will not hide from him.
26
But if harm should come to me because of him, whoever hears of it will beware of him.
27
Who will set a guard over my mouth, and an effective seal upon my lips, so that I may not fall because of them, and my tongue may not destroy me?
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.