⁴⁵A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

³They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.

¹³And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.

²⁰Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother’s son.

⁹An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.

¹⁰And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

⁴Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.

¹⁸He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.

³The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

¹¹Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.

¹¹False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not.

⁶⁰But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,

⁸And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.

⁸By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true;

¹²They also that seek after my life lay snares for me: and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and imagine deceits all the day long.

²For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue.

⁴Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:

¹³Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.

¹⁰For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:

³¹Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

¹Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,

²To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

¹²Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

¹⁶Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

¹³Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.

¹¹Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

¹Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?

³He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.

⁹And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men’s words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt?

²³The north wind driveth away rain: so doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue.