James 3:5-9

5In the same way, our tongue is a very small part of our body. But it speaks as if it is very great. Think about this. A very small fire can cause even a big forest to burn completely.

6A person's tongue is like a fire. It has the power of everything in the world that is wrong. It is a small part of the body but it can spoil the whole person. Like a fire, it can destroy all of a person's life. It is a fire that comes from the fire of hell itself.

7Remember this: People can cause all kinds of things to do what they want them to do. They have done this with wild animals, birds, snakes and things that live in the sea.

8But no person can rule his tongue. It continues to say bad things. It is like a bad poison that can cause death.

9We use our tongue to praise the Lord God who is our Father. But then we use it to curse other people. That is wrong, because God made those people to be like himself.