| New Living Translation | NET Bible |
| 1Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. | 1Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, because you know that we will be judged more strictly. |
| 2Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. | 2For we all stumble in many ways. If someone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect individual, able to control the entire body as well. |
| 3We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. | 3And if we put bits into the mouths of horses to get them to obey us, then we guide their entire bodies. |
| 4And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. | 4Look at ships too: Though they are so large and driven by harsh winds, they are steered by a tiny rudder wherever the pilot's inclination directs. |
| 5In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. | 5So too the tongue is a small part of the body, yet it has great pretensions. Think how small a flame sets a huge forest ablaze. |
| 6And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. | 6And the tongue is a fire! The tongue represents the world of wrongdoing among the parts of our bodies. It pollutes the entire body and sets fire to the course of human existence--and is set on fire by hell. |
| 7People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, | 7For every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and sea creature is subdued and has been subdued by humankind. |
| 8but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. | 8But no human being can subdue the tongue; it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. |
| 9Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. | 9With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse people made in God's image. |
| 10And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! | 10From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. These things should not be so, my brothers and sisters. |
| 11Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? | 11A spring does not pour out fresh water and bitter water from the same opening, does it? |
| 12Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring. True Wisdom Comes from God | 12Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters, or a vine produce figs? Neither can a salt water spring produce fresh water. |
| 13If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. | 13Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct he should show his works done in the gentleness that wisdom brings. |
| 14But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. | 14But if you have bitter jealousy and selfishness in your hearts, do not boast and tell lies against the truth. |
| 15For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. | 15Such wisdom does not come from above but is earthly, natural, demonic. |
| 16For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. | 16For where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is disorder and every evil practice. |
| 17But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. | 17But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and not hypocritical. |
| 18And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. | 18And the fruit that consists of righteousness is planted in peace among those who make peace. |
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