James 3:2–12

²All of us make a lot of mistakes. If someone doesn’t make any mistakes when he speaks, he would be perfect. He would be able to control everything he does. ³We put bits in the mouths of horses to make them obey us, and we have control over everything they do. ⁴The same thing is true for ships. They are very big and are driven by strong winds. Yet, by using small rudders, pilots steer ships wherever they want them to go. ⁵In the same way the tongue is a small part of the body, but it can brag about doing important things. 

A large forest can be set on fire by a little flame. ⁶The tongue is that kind of flame. It is a world of evil among the parts of our bodies, and it completely contaminates our bodies. The tongue sets our lives on fire, and is itself set on fire from hell. ⁷People have tamed all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and sea creatures. ⁸Yet, no one can tame the tongue. It is an uncontrollable evil filled with deadly poison. 

⁹With our tongues we praise our Lord and Father. Yet, with the same tongues we curse people, who were created in God’s likeness. ¹⁰Praise and curses come from the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, this should not happen! ¹¹Do clean and polluted water flow out of the same spring? ¹²My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree produce olives? Can a grapevine produce figs? In the same way, a pool of salt water can’t produce fresh water.