"A man may think he is religious, but if he has no control over his tongue, he is deceiving himself; that man's religion is futile." (James 1:26 NEB).

RESTRAINING THE TONGUE.
"'Whoever loves life and would see good days must restrain his tongue from evil and his lips from deceit; must turn from wrong and do good, seek peace and pursue it. For the Lord's eyes are turned toward the righteous, his ears are open to their prayers; but the Lord's face is set against wrong-doers.'" (1 Peter 3:10-12 NEB).

"It is a small member but it can make huge claims... the tongue is in effect a fire. It represents among our members the world with all its wickedness; it pollutes our whole being; it keeps the wheel of our existence red-hot, and its flames are fed by hell... no man can subdue the tongue." (From James 3:5-8 NEB).

THE SOURCE OF ONE'S WORDS.
"It is what comes out of a man that defiles him. For from inside, out of a man's heart, come evil thoughts... malice... slander; these evil things all come from inside, and they defile a man." (From Mark 7:20-23 NEB).

"The words that the mouth utters come from the overflowing of the heart. A good man produces good from the store of good within himself; and an evil man from evil within produces evil. I tell you this: there is not a thoughtless word that comes from men's lips but they will have to account for it on the day of judgement. For out of your own mouth you will be acquitted; out of your own mouth you will be condemned." (From Matt 12:34-37 NEB).

"No bad language must pass your lips, but only what is good and helpful to the occasion, so that it brings a blessing to those who hear it." (Eph 4:29 NEB).

ABUSIVE SPEECH.
"Indecency of any kind... must not be so much as mentioned among you, as befits the people of God. No coarse, stupid, or flippant talk; these things are out of place; you should rather be thanking God." (Eph 5:3,4 NEB).

"But now you must yourselves lay aside all anger, passion, malice, cursing⁽¹⁾, filthy talk -- have done with them!" (Col 3:8 NEB).

DISPARAGING OTHERS.
"Brothers, you must never disparage⁽²⁾ one another. He who disparages a brother or passes judgement on his brother disparages the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not keeping it but sitting in judgement upon it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save life and destroy it. So who are you to judge your neighbour?" (James 4:11,12 NEB).

"Let nothing go forth unrestrained from your mouth, for a God of knowledge Jehovah is, and by Him deeds are rightly estimated". (1 Sam 2:3 NWT).

"Moreover, do not pay attention to everything men say... for you know very well how many times you yourself have disparaged others." (Eccles 7:21,22 NEB).

"A straightforward answer is as good as a kiss of friendship." (Prov 24:26 NEB).

WHEN TO SPEAK.
"Be quick to listen, but take time over your answer. Answer a man if you know what to say, but if not, hold your tongue. Honour or shame can come through speaking, and a man's tongue may be his downfall." (Eccus 5:11 to 13 NEB).

"Do not answer without first listening, and do not interrupt when another is speaking." (Eccus 11:8 NEB).

"Do not find fault before examining the evidence; think first, and criticize afterwards." (Eccus 11:7 NEB).

"When anyone is replying to a matter before he hears it, that is foolishness on his part and a humiliation." (Prov 18:13 NWT).

"Fools speak before they think; wise men think first and speak afterwards." (Eccus 21:26 NEB).

But: "Never remain silent when a word might put things right, for wisdom shows itself by speech." (Eccus 4:23,24 NEB).

WHEN NOT TO SPEAK.
"Hold your tongue in the hearing of a stupid man; for he will despise your words of wisdom." (Prov 23:9 NEB).

"Do not let a man's insolence bring you to your feet; he will only sit waiting to trap you with your own words." (Eccus 8:11 NEB).