Psalms 10:1-7; Psalms 15:1-3; Psalms 50; Psalms 52:1-7; Proverbs 6:16-17; Proverbs 15:4; Proverbs 17:4; Proverbs 17:20; Proverbs 18:21; Proverbs 25:23; Proverbs 26:28; Isaiah 54:16-17; Isaiah 59:1-3; Jeremiah 9:1-8; James 1:26; James 3:1-9; 1 Peter 3:10

Psalms 10:1-7

1 Why, LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

2 In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises.

3 He boasts about the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.

4 In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

5 His ways are always prosperous; your laws are rejected by him; he sneers at all his enemies.

6 He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.” He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”

7 His mouth is full of lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue.

Psalms 15:1-3

1 LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain?

2 The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart;

3 whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others;

Psalms 50

1 The Mighty One, God, the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to where it sets.

2 From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.

3 Our God comes and will not be silent; a fire devours before him, and around him a tempest rages.

4 He summons the heavens above, and the earth, that he may judge his people:

5 “Gather to me this consecrated people, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”

6 And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for he is a God of justice.

7 “Listen, my people, and I will speak; I will testify against you, Israel: I am God, your God.

8 I bring no charges against you concerning your sacrifices or concerning your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.

9 I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens,

10 for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.

11 I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine.

12 If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.

13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?

14 “Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High,

15 and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

16 But to the wicked person, God says: “What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips?

17 You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you.

18 When you see a thief, you join with him; you throw in your lot with adulterers.

19 You use your mouth for evil and harness your tongue to deceit.

20 You sit and testify against your brother and slander your own mother’s son.

21 When you did these things and I kept silent, you thought I was exactly like you. But I now arraign you and set my accusations before you.

22 “Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you:

23 Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me, and to the blameless I will show my salvation.”

Psalms 52:1-7

1 Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero? Why do you boast all day long, you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?

2 You who practice deceit, your tongue plots destruction; it is like a sharpened razor.

3 You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth.

4 You love every harmful word, you deceitful tongue!

5 Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin: He will snatch you up and pluck you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living.

6 The righteous will see and fear; they will laugh at you, saying,

7 “Here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others!”

Proverbs 6:16-17

16 There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him:

17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,

Proverbs 15:4

4 The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.

Proverbs 17:4

4 A wicked person listens to deceitful lips; a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

Proverbs 17:20

20 One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper; one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble.

Proverbs 18:21

21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs 25:23

23 Like a north wind that brings unexpected rain is a sly tongue—which provokes a horrified look.

Proverbs 26:28

28 A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin.

Isaiah 54:16-17

16 “See, it is I who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its work. And it is I who have created the destroyer to wreak havoc;

17 no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the LORD.

Isaiah 59:1-3

1 Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.

2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.

3 For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken falsely, and your tongue mutters wicked things.

Jeremiah 9:1-8

1 Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night for the slain of my people.

2 Oh, that I had in the desert a lodging place for travelers, so that I might leave my people and go away from them; for they are all adulterers, a crowd of unfaithful people.

3 “They make ready their tongue like a bow, to shoot lies; it is not by truth that they triumph in the land. They go from one sin to another; they do not acknowledge me,” declares the LORD.

4 “Beware of your friends; do not trust anyone in your clan. For every one of them is a deceiver,and every friend a slanderer.

5 Friend deceives friend, and no one speaks the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they weary themselves with sinning.

6 You live in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,” declares the LORD.

7 Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty says: “See, I will refine and test them, for what else can I do because of the sin of my people?

8 Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceitfully. With their mouths they all speak cordially to their neighbors, but in their hearts they set traps for them.

James 1:26

26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.

James 3:1-9

1 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.

2 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.

3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.

4 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.

5 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.

6 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.

7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind,

8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.

1 Peter 3:10

10 For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech.