| 3 | James | ||
| 1 | MY BROTHERS, not many of you should become teachers, for you may be certain that we who teach shall ourselves be judged with greater strictness. | The Tongue Jas.3.1-12 | |
| 2 | All of us often go wrong; the man who never says a wrong thing is a perfect character, able to bridle his whole being. | ||
| 3 | If we put bits into horses' mouths to make them obey our will, we can direct their whole body. | ||
| 4 | Or think of ships: large they may be, yet even when driven by strong gales they can be directed by a tiny rudder on whatever course the helmsman chooses. | ||
| 5 | So with the tongue. It is a small member but it can make huge claims. What an immense stack of timber can be set ablaze by the tiniest spark! | ||
| 6 | And the tongue is in effect a fire. It represents among our members the world with all its wickedness; it pollutes our whole being; it keeps the wheel of our existence red-hot, and its flames are fed by hell. | ||
| 7 | Beasts and birds of every kind, creatures that crawl on the ground or swim in the sea, can be subdued and have been subdued by mankind; | ||
| 8 | but no man can subdue the tongue. It is an intractable evil, charged with deadly venom. | ||
| 9 | We use it to sing the praises of our Lord and Father, and we use it to invoke curses upon our fellow-men who are made in God's likeness. | ||
| 10 | Out of the same mouth come praises and curses. | ||
| 11 | My brothers, this should not be so. Does a fountain gush with both fresh and brackish water from the same opening? | ||
| 12 | Can a fig-tree, my brothers, yield olives, or a vine figs? No more does salt water yield fresh. | ||
| 13 | WHO AMONG YOU is wise or clever? Let his right conduct give practical proof of it, with the modesty that comes of wisdom. | The Wisdom from Above Jas.3.13-18 | |
| 14 | But if you are harbouring bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, consider whether your claims are not false, and a defiance of the truth. | ||
| 15 | This is not the wisdom that comes from above; it is earth-bound, sensual, demonic. | ||
| 16 | For with jealousy and ambition come disorder and evil of every kind. | ||
| 17 | But the wisdom from above is in the first place pure; and then peace-loving, considerate, and open to reason; it is straightforward and sincere, rich in mercy and in the kindly deeds that are its fruit. | ||
| 18 | True justice is the harvest reaped by peacemakers from seeds sown in a spirit of peace. | ||
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