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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>James 3 NIV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head> <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-LR4HSKRP2H"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-LR4HSKRP2H'); </script><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/james/3.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/james/3-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NIV</a> > James 3</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../james/2.htm" title="James 2">◄</a> James 3 <a href="../james/4.htm" title="James 4">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New International Version</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/niv/esv/james/3.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="sectionhead">Taming the Tongue</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/3-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/3-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/3-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/3-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/3-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/3-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/3-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/3-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/3-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/3-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/3-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/3-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.</p> <p class="sectionhead">Two Kinds of Wisdom</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/3-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/3-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/3-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/3-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/3-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/3-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.</p><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center"><p class="ntext"><a href="http://niv.scripturetext.com/version.htm">New International Version</a> (NIV)</p><p class="ntext2">Holy Bible, New International Version&reg, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by <a href="http://biblica.com">Biblica, Inc.</a>® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.</p><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/">Bible Hub</a></div></div></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="../james/2.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="James 2"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="James 2" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="../james/4.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="James 4"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="James 4" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="rightbox"><div class="padright"><div id="pic"><iframe width="100%" height="860" scrolling="no" src="//biblescan.com/mpc/james/3-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></div></div><div id="rightbox4"><div class="padright2"><div id="spons1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td class="sp1"><iframe width="122" height="860" scrolling="no" src="../sidemenubib2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhchapnoad.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>