Ecclesiastes 10:20
Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter. Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.
Words spoken in secret, even in thought or in a bedroom, do not stay hidden but are carried abroad and made known as if a bird carried the voice and that which has wings told the matter. Private speech can travel beyond the speaker's control, so that what was meant to remain concealed becomes public knowledge. The warning holds for the most inward thought as well as for the most retired room, since no secrecy prevents the report from going forth.
Applied to careless gossip and idle words, the teaching warns that private speech can spread beyond the speaker's control and cause harm. The disclosure of a concealed political plan illustrates the same warning that private talk is revealed. Even a very secret society of nine girls with a constitution and by-laws and a hidden meaning in queerly shaped bows of flame-colored ribbon bearing the letters S. P. L. L. was made known by giving ear to a little bird. That discovery shows that winged report tells the matter and no contrived secrecy keeps it back.
Winged heavenly messengers hear even secret speech and carry the report to heaven. They serve as reporters and witnesses to the cases on the docket in the divine judgment. Their testimony stands ready for when judgment sits and the books are opened.