Ephesians 4:29
New Living Translation
29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
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Colossians 4:6
New Living Translation
6 Let your conversation be gracious and attractive[a] so that you will have the right response for everyone.
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- 4:6 Greek and seasoned with salt.
Ecclesiastes 10:12
New Living Translation
12 Wise words bring approval,
but fools are destroyed by their own words.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
New Living Translation
11 So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
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Proverbs 15:7
New Living Translation
7 The lips of the wise give good advice;
the heart of a fool has none to give.
Matthew 12:34-37
New Living Translation
34 You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. 35 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. 36 And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. 37 The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.”
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Colossians 3:8-9
New Living Translation
8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.
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Proverbs 12:13
New Living Translation
13 The wicked are trapped by their own words,
but the godly escape such trouble.
James 3:2-8
New Living Translation
2 Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.
3 We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 4 And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. 5 In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches.
But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6 And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.[a]
7 People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison.
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- 3:6 Or for it will burn in hell (Greek Gehenna).
Proverbs 25:11-12
New Living Translation
11 Timely advice is lovely,
like golden apples in a silver basket.
12 To one who listens, valid criticism
is like a gold earring or other gold jewelry.
Proverbs 15:2-4
New Living Translation
2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing,
but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness.
3 The Lord is watching everywhere,
keeping his eye on both the evil and the good.
4 Gentle words are a tree of life;
a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.
Psalm 37:30-31
New Living Translation
30 The godly offer good counsel;
they teach right from wrong.
31 They have made God’s law their own,
so they will never slip from his path.
Matthew 5:16
New Living Translation
16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
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Ephesians 5:3-4
New Living Translation
3 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. 4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God.
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Proverbs 10:31-32
New Living Translation
31 The mouth of the godly person gives wise advice,
but the tongue that deceives will be cut off.
32 The lips of the godly speak helpful words,
but the mouth of the wicked speaks perverse words.
Colossians 3:16-17
New Living Translation
16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
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Luke 4:22
New Living Translation
22 Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. “How can this be?” they asked. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”
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Proverbs 16:21
New Living Translation
21 The wise are known for their understanding,
and pleasant words are persuasive.
Proverbs 15:23
New Living Translation
23 Everyone enjoys a fitting reply;
it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time!
1 Peter 2:12
New Living Translation
12 Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.[a]
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- 2:12 Or on the day of visitation.
Isaiah 50:4
New Living Translation
The Lord’s Obedient Servant
4 The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom,
so that I know how to comfort the weary.
Morning by morning he wakens me
and opens my understanding to his will.
Psalm 52:2
New Living Translation
2 All day long you plot destruction.
Your tongue cuts like a sharp razor;
you’re an expert at telling lies.
1 Corinthians 15:32-33
New Living Translation
32 And what value was there in fighting wild beasts—those people of Ephesus[a]—if there will be no resurrection from the dead? And if there is no resurrection, “Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!”[b] 33 Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.”
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Romans 3:13-14
New Living Translation
Malachi 3:16-18
New Living Translation
The Lord’s Promise of Mercy
16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name.
17 “They will be my people,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child. 18 Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”
Read full chapterHoly Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.