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.

Speaking rashly is like a piercing sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

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

The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked blurts out evil.

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

My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,

Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, this should not be!

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

The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure.

For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

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

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

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

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head.

The good man brings good things out of the good treasure of his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil treasure of his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

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

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.

To start a quarrel is to release a flood; so abandon the dispute before it breaks out.

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.

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

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to control his whole body. When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can guide the whole animal. Consider ships as well. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot is inclined. 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. . . .

With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.

Do everything without complaining or arguing,

Do not be like the horse or mule, which have no understanding; they must be controlled with bit and bridle to make them come to you.

Once you were alienated from God and were hostile in your minds because of your evil deeds.

What good is it, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you tells him, “Go in peace; stay warm and well fed,” but does not provide for his physical needs, what good is that? So too, faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. . . .

But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices an abomination or a lie, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

But outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.”

All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

But among you, as is proper among the saints, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed.

For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible.

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.