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

⁴⁵ The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil, for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.^(A)

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

²⁹ Let no evil talk come out of your mouths but only what is good for building up,^[a] as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.

¹³ As the ancient proverb says, ‘Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness,’ but my hand shall not be against you.^(A)

⁵ So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits.

How great a forest is set ablaze by a such a small fire!^{(A) 6} And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of life, and is itself set on fire by hell.^{[a](B) 7} For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, ⁸ but no one can tame the tongue—a restless^[b] evil, full of deadly poison.^(C)

¹⁰ The children of God and the children of the devil are revealed in this way: all who do not do what is right are not from God, nor are those who do not love a brother or sister.^(A)

³⁵ The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure.

⁴⁴ You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.^(A)