38 Bible Verses about Evil Speaking
Most Relevant Verses
So put aside every trace of malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander and hateful speech;
For there are many rebellious men who are empty talkers [just windbags] and deceivers; especially those of the circumcision [those Jews who insist that Gentile believers must be circumcised and keep the Law in order to be saved]. They must be silenced, because they are upsetting whole families by teaching things they should not teach for the purpose of dishonest financial gain.
to slander or abuse no one, to be kind and conciliatory and gentle, showing unqualified consideration and courtesy toward everyone.
If anyone thinks himself to be religious [scrupulously observant of the rituals of his faith], and does not control his tongue but deludes his own heart, this person’s religion is worthless (futile, barren).
His mouth is full of curses and deceit (fraud) and oppression;
Under his tongue is mischief and wickedness [injustice and sin].
Hide me from the secret counsel and conspiracy of the ungodly,
From the scheming of those who do wrong,
Who have sharpened their tongues like a sword.
They aim venomous words as arrows,
To shoot from ambush at the blameless [one];
Suddenly they shoot at him, without fear.
read more.
They encourage themselves in [their pursuit of] an evil agenda;
They talk of laying snares secretly;
They say, “Who will discover us?”
In the same sense, the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things.
See [by comparison] how great a forest is set on fire by a small spark! And the tongue is [in a sense] a fire, the very world of injustice and unrighteousness; the tongue is set among our members as that which contaminates the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life [the cycle of man’s existence], and is itself set on fire by hell (Gehenna). For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and sea creatures, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. read more.
But no one can tame the human tongue; it is a restless evil [undisciplined, unstable], full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God. Out of the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. These things, my brothers, should not be this way [for we have a moral obligation to speak in a manner that reflects our fear of God and profound respect for His precepts].
Believers, do not speak against or slander one another. He who speaks [self-righteously] against a brother or judges his brother [hypocritically], speaks against the Law and judges the Law. If you judge the Law, you are not a doer of the Law but a judge of it.
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate [by perversion], nor those who participate in homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers [whose words are used as weapons to abuse, insult, humiliate, intimidate, or slander], nor swindlers will inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God.
“Their throat is an open grave;
They [habitually] deceive with their tongues.”
“The venom of asps is beneath their lips.”
Therefore, rejecting all falsehood [whether lying, defrauding, telling half-truths, spreading rumors, any such as these], speak truth each one with his neighbor, for we are all parts of one another [and we are all parts of the body of Christ].
Do not let unwholesome [foul, profane, worthless, vulgar] words ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is good for building up others, according to the need and the occasion, so that it will be a blessing to those who hear [you speak]. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [but seek to please Him], by whom you were sealed and marked [branded as God’s own] for the day of redemption [the final deliverance from the consequences of sin]. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor [perpetual animosity, resentment, strife, fault-finding] and slander be put away from you, along with every kind of malice [all spitefulness, verbal abuse, malevolence].
Let there be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse [obscene or vulgar] joking, because such things are not appropriate [for believers]; but instead speak of your thankfulness [to God].
These six things the Lord hates;
Indeed, seven are repulsive to Him:
A proud look [the attitude that makes one overestimate oneself and discount others], a lying tongue,
And hands that shed innocent blood,
A heart that creates wicked plans,
Feet that run swiftly to evil,
read more.
A false witness who breathes out lies [even half-truths],
And one who spreads discord (rumors) among brothers.
“The [reverent] fear and worshipful awe of the Lord includes the hatred of evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way,
And the perverted mouth, I hate.
The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life and his words of wisdom are a source of blessing,
But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence and evil.
By the blessing [of the influence] of the upright the city is exalted,
But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.
The thoughts and purposes of the [consistently] righteous are just (honest, reliable),
But the counsels and schemes of the wicked are deceitful.
The one who guards his mouth [thinking before he speaks] protects his life;
The one who opens his lips wide [and chatters without thinking] comes to ruin.
A soft and gentle and thoughtful answer turns away wrath,
But harsh and painful and careless words stir up anger.
A worthless man devises and digs up evil,
And the words on his lips are like a scorching fire.
An evildoer listens closely to wicked lips;
And a liar pays attention to a destructive and malicious tongue.
The words of a whisperer (gossip) are like dainty morsels [to be greedily eaten];
They go down into the innermost chambers of the body [to be remembered and mused upon].
Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity
Than a [rich] man who is twisted in his speech and is a [shortsighted] fool.
For their minds plot violence,
And their lips talk of trouble [for the innocent].
For lack of wood the fire goes out,
And where there is no whisperer [who gossips], contention quiets down.
Like charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
So is a contentious man to kindle strife.
The words of a whisperer (gossip) are like dainty morsels [to be greedily eaten];
They go down into the innermost chambers of the body [to be remembered and mused upon].
read more.
Like a [common] clay vessel covered with the silver dross [making it appear silver when it has no real value]
Are burning lips [murmuring manipulative words] and a wicked heart.
My enemies speak evil of me, saying,
“When will he die and his name perish?”
And when one comes to see me, he speaks empty words,
While his heart gathers malicious gossip [against me];
When he goes away, he tells it [everywhere].
All who hate me whisper together about me;
Against me they devise my hurt [imagining the worst for me], saying,
read more.
“A wicked thing is poured out upon him and holds him;
And when he lies down, he will not rise up again.”
Even my own close friend in whom I trusted,
Who ate my bread,
Has lifted up his heel against me [betraying me].
Your tongue devises destruction,
Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
You love evil more than good,
And falsehood more than speaking what is right. Selah.
You love all words that devour,
O deceitful tongue.
For the sin of their mouths and the words of their lips,
Let them even be trapped in their pride,
And on account of the curses and lies which they tell.
They who sit in the [city’s] gate talk about me and mock me,
And I am the song of the drunkards.
Let them be turned back because of their shame and disgrace
Who say, “Aha, aha!”
Because they were rebellious against His Spirit,
Moses spoke recklessly with his lips.
Even though princes sit and talk to one another against me,
Your servant meditates on Your statutes.
In my trouble I cried to the Lord,
And He answered me.
Rescue my soul, O Lord, from lying lips,
And from a deceitful tongue.
What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you,
You deceitful tongue?—
read more.
Sharp arrows of the warrior,
With the burning coals of the broom tree.
Woe to me, for I sojourn in Meshech,
and I live among the tents of Kedar [among hostile people]!
Too long my soul has had its dwelling
With those who hate peace.
I am for peace, but when I speak,
They are for war.
They sharpen their tongues like a serpent’s;
Poison of a viper is under their lips. Selah.
Bible Theasaurus
From Thematic Bible
Slander » Includes » Evil speaking
My enemies speak evil of me, saying,
“When will he die and his name perish?”
Let this be the reward of my attackers from the Lord,
And of those who speak evil against my life.
