^34 (A)You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, ^(B)when you are evil? ^(C)For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

^45 (A)The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces ^(B)evil, ^(C)for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

¹⁸ But ^(A)what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.

^29 (A)Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give ^(B)grace to those who hear.

¹³ As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes wickedness.’ But my hand shall not be against you.

⁵ So also the tongue is a small member, yet ^(A)it boasts of great things.

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! ⁶ And ^(B)the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, ^(C)staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life,^[a] and set on fire by hell.^{[b] 7} For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, ⁸ but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, ^(D)full of deadly poison.

¹⁰ By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, ^(A)nor is the one who ^(B)does not love his brother.

^35 (A)The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.

^44 (A)You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. ^(B)He was a murderer from the beginning, and ^(C)does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. ^(D)When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.