²⁶ If a man seems to have religion and has no control over his tongue but lets himself be tricked by what is false, this man's religion is of no value.

³ O Lord, keep a watch over my mouth; keep the door of my lips.

²⁹ Let no evil talk come out of your mouth, but only what is good for giving necessary teaching, and for grace to those who give ear.

¹⁰ For it is said, Let the man who has a love of life, desiring to see good days, keep his tongue from evil and his lips from words of deceit:

¹³ Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from words of deceit.

² For we all go wrong in a number of things. If a man never makes a slip in his talk, then he is a complete man and able to keep all his body in control.

³ Now if we put bits of iron into horses' mouths so that they may be guided by us, we have complete control of their bodies.

⁴ And again ships, though they are so great and are moved by violent winds, are turned by a very small guiding-blade, at the impulse of the man who is using it.

⁵ Even so the tongue is a small part of the body, but it takes credit for great things. How much wood may be lighted by a very little fire!

⁶ And the tongue is a fire; it is the power of evil placed in our bodies, making all the body unclean, putting the wheel of life on fire, and getting its fire from hell.

²² But be doers of the word, and not only hearers of it, blinding yourselves with false ideas.

³¹ The mouth of the upright man is budding with wisdom, but the twisted tongue will be cut off.

¹ Better is the poor man whose ways are upright, than the man of wealth whose ways are twisted.

¹⁸ So take care how you give hearing, for to him who has will be given, and from him who has not will be taken even what he seems to have.

⁴ And let there be no low behaviour, or foolish talk, or words said in sport, which are not right, but in place of them the giving of praise.

⁶ Let your talk be with grace, mixed with salt, so that you may be able to give an answer to everyone.

¹⁹ Where there is much talk there will be no end to sin, but he who keeps his mouth shut does wisely.

² A man will get good from the fruit of his lips, but the desire of the false is for violent acts.

³ He who keeps a watch on his mouth keeps his life; but he whose lips are open wide will have destruction.

² Knowledge is dropping from the tongue of the wise; but from the mouth of the foolish comes a stream of foolish words.

³ For if a man has an idea that he is something when he is nothing, he is tricked by himself.

¹⁹ You have knowledge of this, dear brothers. But let every man be quick in hearing, slow in words, slow to get angry;

¹ <To the chief music-maker. Of Jeduthun. A Psalm. Of David.> I said, I will give attention to my ways, so that my tongue may do no wrong; I will keep my mouth under control, while the sinner is before me.

² I made no sound, I said no word, even of good; and I was moved with sorrow.

¹⁶ But take care that your hearts are not turned to false ways so that you become servants and worshippers of other gods;

²⁰ Do you not see, O foolish man, that faith without works is of no use?

¹³ Give me no more false offerings; the smoke of burning flesh is disgusting to me, so are your new moons and Sabbaths and your holy meetings.

¹² There is a way which seems straight before a man, but its end is the ways of death.

¹⁰ Decision is in the lips of the king: his mouth will not go wrong in judging.

²⁵ There is a way which seems straight before a man, but its end is the ways of death.

²⁶ All the day the sinner goes after his desire: but the upright man gives freely, keeping nothing back.

²⁰ As for him whose food is the dust of a dead fire, he has been turned from the way by a twisted mind, so that he is unable to keep himself safe by saying, What I have here in my hand is false.

¹⁴ You have said, It is no use worshipping God: what profit have we had from keeping his orders, and going in clothing of sorrow before the Lord of armies?

⁹ But their worship is to no purpose, while they give as their teaching the rules of men.

¹⁸ Let no man have a false idea. If any man seems to himself to be wise among you, let him become foolish, so that he may be wise.

² By which you have salvation; that is to say, the form in which it was given to you, if it is fixed in your minds, and if your faith in it is not without effect.

¹⁵ Yes, and we are seen to be false witnesses of God; because we gave witness of God that by his power Christ came again from the dead: which is not true if there is no coming back from the dead.

⁶ But from those who seemed to be important (whatever they were has no weight with me: God does not take man's person into account): those who seemed to be important gave nothing new to me;

⁹ Do not be like the horse or the ass, without sense; ...

⁷ But their worship is to no purpose, while they give as their teaching the rules of men.

⁹ When they saw the grace which was given to me, James and Cephas and John, who had the name of being pillars, gave to me and Barnabas their right hands as friends so that we might go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcision;

⁴ Did you undergo such a number of things to no purpose? if it is in fact to no purpose.