Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; the one with haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not endure.

A perverse man spreads dissension, and a gossip divides close friends.

There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that run swiftly to evil, a false witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up discord among brothers.

They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips,

At the same time they will also learn to be idle, going from house to house and being not only idle, but also gossips and busybodies, discussing things they should not mention.

Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. And if you judge the law, you are not a practitioner of the law, but a judge of it.

He who reveals secrets is a constant gossip; avoid the one who babbles with his lips.

You must not go about spreading slander among your people. You must not endanger the life of your neighbor. I am the LORD.

A gossip reveals a secret, but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.

but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate before the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments. If anyone says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone keeps His word, the love of God has been truly perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him: . . .

Without wood, a fire goes out; without gossip, a conflict ceases.

Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but he who brings it up separates friends.

The words of a gossip are like choice morsels that go down into the inmost being.

The tongue also is a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

A worthless man digs up evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.

Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes of the Dispersion: Greetings. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. . . .

slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful. They invent new forms of evil; they disobey their parents.

The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool.

Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful speech.

For I am afraid that when I come, I may not find you as I wish, and you may not find me as you wish. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, rage, rivalry, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder.

With his mouth the ungodly man destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge the righteous are rescued.

Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart and his religion is worthless.

Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers all transgressions.

Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles the word of truth.

“You shall not spread a false report. Do not join the wicked by being a malicious witness.

He who guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from distress.

There is a judge for the one who rejects Me and does not receive My words: The word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.

and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

As the north wind brings forth rain, so a backbiting tongue brings angry looks.

to malign no one, and to be peaceable and gentle, showing full consideration to everyone.

Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron. They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from certain foods that God has created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creation of God is good, and nothing that is received with thanksgiving should be rejected, because it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. . . .

But avoid irreverent, empty chatter, which will only lead to more ungodliness,

A wicked man listens to evil lips; a liar gives ear to a destructive tongue.

Anyone who runs ahead without remaining in the teaching of Christ does not have God. Whoever remains in His teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you but does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home or even greet him. Whoever greets such a person shares in his evil deeds.

When words are many, sin is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.

A soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

keeping a clear conscience, so that those who slander you may be put to shame by your good behavior in Christ.

Do not rebuke an older man, but appeal to him as to a father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. Honor the widows who are truly widows. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to show godliness to their own family and repay their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. The widow who is truly in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day in her petitions and prayers. . . .

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and wash your sins away, calling on His name.’

These are the family heads and genealogical records of those who returned with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes: from the descendants of Phinehas, Gershom; from the descendants of Ithamar, Daniel; from the descendants of David, Hattush of the descendants of Shecaniah; from the descendants of Parosh, Zechariah, and with him were registered 150 men; from the descendants of Pahath-Moab, Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah, and with him 200 men; from the descendants of Zattu, Shecaniah son of Jahaziel, and with him 300 men; . . .

“I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands One you do not know.

But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.

He who guards his mouth protects his life, but the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin.

Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips.

He who walks with integrity and practices righteousness, who speaks the truth from his heart, who has no slander on his tongue, who does no harm to his neighbor, who casts no scorn on his friend,

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Doe of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning? I cry out by day, O my God, but You do not answer, and by night, but I have no rest. Yet You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In You our fathers trusted; they trusted and You delivered them. They cried out to You and were set free; they trusted in You and were not disappointed. . . .

Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful. They invent new forms of evil; they disobey their parents. They are senseless, faithless, heartless, merciless. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things are worthy of death, they not only continue to do these things, but also approve of those who practice them.

and to aspire to live quietly, to attend to your own matters, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you.

First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone— for kings and all those in authority—so that we may lead tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity. This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, . . .

In the same way, the women must be dignified, not slanderers, but temperate and faithful in all things.

But now you must put aside all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

therefore prophesy and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: Because they have made you desolate and have trampled you on every side, so that you became a possession of the rest of the nations and were taken up in slander by the lips of their talkers,

In the same way, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it boasts of great things. Consider how small a spark sets a great forest ablaze.

All are hardened rebels, walking around as slanderers. They are bronze and iron; all of them are corrupt.

Do to others as you would have them do to you.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things.

A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who utters lies will not escape.

Without wood, a fire goes out; without gossip, a conflict ceases. Like charcoal for embers and wood for fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. The words of a gossip are like choice morsels that go down into the inmost being.

You sit and malign your brother; you slander your own mother’s son.

This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon come to pass. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John,

And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ. For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down—he who accuses them day and night before our God.

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, and set apart for the gospel of God— the gospel He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, regarding His Son, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. Through Him and on behalf of His name, we received grace and apostleship to call all those among the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. . . .

They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful. They invent new forms of evil; they disobey their parents. They are senseless, faithless, heartless, merciless. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things are worthy of death, they not only continue to do these things, but also approve of those who practice them.

Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander.

They must hold to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. Additionally, they must first be tested. Then, if they are above reproach, let them serve as deacons. In the same way, the women must be dignified, not slanderers, but temperate and faithful in all things.

At the same time they will also learn to be idle, going from house to house and being not only idle, but also gossips and busybodies, discussing things they should not mention. So I advise the younger widows to marry, have children, and manage their households, denying the adversary occasion for slander.

After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel. Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers and instructed them: “Go inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I will recover from this injury.” But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are on your way to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?’ Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘You will not get up from the bed on which you are lying. You will surely die.’” So Elijah departed. When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, “Why have you returned?” . . .

After the death of Saul, David returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites and stayed in Ziklag two days. On the third day a man with torn clothes and dust on his head arrived from Saul’s camp. When he came to David, he fell to the ground to pay him homage. “Where have you come from?” David asked. “I have escaped from the Israelite camp,” he replied. “What was the outcome?” David asked. “Please tell me.” “The troops fled from the battle,” he replied. “Many of them fell and died. And Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.” Then David asked the young man who had brought him the report, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” . . .

unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good,

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one another.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. . . .

In everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you. For this is the essence of the Law and the Prophets.

Ill-gotten treasures profit nothing, but righteousness brings deliverance from death.

Whoever shows contempt for his neighbor lacks judgment, but a man of understanding remains silent.

A fool’s lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating. A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.

Argue your case with your neighbor without betraying another’s confidence, lest the one who hears may disgrace you, and your infamy never go away.

The words of a gossip are like choice morsels that go down into the inmost being.

who has no slander on his tongue, who does no harm to his neighbor, who casts no scorn on his friend,

My visitor speaks falsehood; he gathers slander in his heart; he goes out and spreads it abroad.

All who hate me whisper against me; they imagine the worst for me:

They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful. They invent new forms of evil; they disobey their parents.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, and sound in faith, love, and perseverance. Older women, likewise, are to be reverent in their behavior, not slanderers or addicted to much wine, but teachers of good.

Older women, likewise, are to be reverent in their behavior, not slanderers or addicted to much wine, but teachers of good.

Indeed, none of you should suffer as a murderer or thief or wrongdoer, or even as a meddler.

Be shepherds of God’s flock that is among you, watching over them not out of compulsion, but because it is God’s will; not out of greed, but out of eagerness;

But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”