Matthew 12:33-37

Expanded Bible

People Know You by Your Words

³³ “If you want good fruit, you must ·make the tree good [grow a good/healthy tree]. If ·your tree is not good [you grow a bad/unhealthy tree], it will have bad fruit. A tree is ·known [identified; recognized] by the kind of fruit it produces. ³⁴ You ·snakes [^Tbrood/offspring of vipers]! You are evil people, so how can you say anything good? [^LFor] The mouth speaks the things that ·are in [overflow from] the heart. ³⁵ Good people ·have good things in their hearts, and so they say good things [^Lbring forth good things from the good treasure/storehouse]. But evil people ·have evil in their hearts, so they say evil things [^Lbring forth evil things from the evil treasure/storehouse]. ³⁶ And I tell you that on the judgment day people will ·be responsible [give an accounting; answer] for every ·careless [idle; thoughtless; unhelpful] ·thing [word] they have said. ³⁷ ·The words you have said will be used to judge you. Some of your words will prove you right, but some of your words will prove you guilty [^LFor by your words you will be acquitted/justified, and by your words you will be condemned].”