James 3:3-12

New International Reader's Version

³ We put a small piece of metal in the mouth of a horse to make it obey us. We can control the whole animal with it. ⁴ And how about ships? They are very big. They are driven along by strong winds. But they are steered by a very small rudder. It makes them go where the captain wants to go. ⁵ In the same way, the tongue is a small part of a person’s body. But it talks big. Think about how a small spark can set a big forest on fire. ⁶ The tongue is also a fire. The tongue is the most evil part of the body. It makes the whole body impure. It sets a person’s whole way of life on fire. And the tongue itself is set on fire by hell.

⁷ People have tamed all kinds of wild animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures. And they still tame them. ⁸ But no one can tame the tongue. It is an evil thing that never rests. It is full of deadly poison.

⁹ With our tongues we praise our Lord and Father. With our tongues we curse people. We do it even though people have been created to be like God. ¹⁰ Praise and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, it shouldn’t be this way. ¹¹ Can fresh water and salt water flow out of the same spring? ¹² My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree produce olives? Can a grapevine produce figs? Of course not. And a saltwater spring can’t produce fresh water either.