James 3:1-8 ▼

1 Not many should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we will receive a stricter judgment.

2 For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is mature, able also to control the whole body.

3 Now if we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we direct their whole bodies.

4 And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.

5 So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how a small fire sets ablaze a large forest.

6 And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among our members. It stains the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

7 Every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and fish is tamed and has been tamed by humankind,

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