Bible verses about "gossipers" | Moffatt

⁶ And the tongue is a fire, the tongue proves a very world of mischief among our members, staining the whole of the body and setting fire to the round circle of existence with a flame fed by hell.

¹ My dear children, I am writing this to you that you may not sin; but if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father in Jesus Christ the just; ² he is himself the propitiation for our sins, though not for ours alone but also for the whole world. ³ This is how we may be sure we know him, by obeying his commands. ⁴ He who says, 'I know him,' but does not obey his commands, is a liar and the truth is not in him; ⁵ but whoever obeys his word, in him love to God is really complete. This is how we may be sure we are in him: ⁶ he who says he 'remains in him' ought to live as he lived. ⁷ Beloved, I am not writing you any new command, but an old command which you have had from the very beginning: the old command is the word you have heard. ⁸ And yet it is a new command I am writing to you — realized in him and also in yourselves, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. ⁹ He who says he is 'in the light' and hates his brother, is in darkness still. ¹⁰ He who loves his brother remains in the light — and in the light there is no pitfall; ¹¹ but he who hates his brother is in darkness, he walks in darkness and does not know where he is going, for the darkness has blinded his eyes. ¹² My dear children, I am writing to you, because your sins are forgiven for his sake: ¹³ fathers, I am writing to you, because you know him who is from the very beginning: young men, I am writing to you, because you have conquered the evil One. Children, I have written to you, because you know the Father: ¹⁴ fathers, I have written to you, because you know him who is from the very beginning: young men, I have written to you, because you are strong, and the word of God remains within you, and you have conquered the evil One. ¹⁵ Love not the world, nor yet what is in the world; if anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world, the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the proud glory of life, belongs not to the Father but to the world; ¹⁷ and the world is passing away with its desire, while he who does the will of God remains for ever. ¹⁸ Children, it is the last hour. You have learned that 'Antichrist is coming.' Well, but many antichrists have appeared — which makes us sure it is the last hour. ¹⁹ They withdrew from us, but they did not belong to us; had they belonged to us, they would have remained with us, but they withdrew to make it plain that they are none of us. ²⁰ Now, you have been anointed by the holy One, and you all possess knowledge. ²¹ I am not writing to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and know that no lie has any connexion with the truth. ²² Who is the real liar? who but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is 'antichrist,' he who disowns the Father and the Son. ²³ No one who disowns the Son can possess the Father: he who confesses the Son possesses the Father as well. ²⁴ Let that remain in you which you learned from the very beginning; if what you learned from the very beginning remains with you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father. ²⁵ Now this is what he has promised you, eternal life. ²⁶ I am writing to you in this way about those who would deceive you, ²⁷ but the unction you received from him remains within you, and you really need no teaching from anyone; simply remain in him, for his unction teaches you about everything and is true and is no lie — remain in him, as it has taught you to do. ²⁸ Remain within him now, my dear children, so that when he appears we may have confidence, instead of shrinking from him in shame at his arrival. ²⁹ As you know he is just, be sure that everyone who practises righteousness is born of him.

¹ James, a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: greeting. ² Greet it as pure joy, my brothers, when you come across any sort of trial, ³ sure that the sterling temper of your faith produces endurance; ⁴ only, let your endurance be a finished product, so that you may be finished and complete, with never a defect. ⁵ Whoever of you is defective in wisdom, let him ask God who gives to all men without question or reproach, and the gift will be his. ⁶ Only, let him ask in faith, with never a doubt; for the doubtful man is like surge of the sea whirled and swayed by the wind; ⁷ that man need not imagine he will get anything from God, ⁸ double-minded creature that he is, wavering at every turn. ⁹ Let a brother of low position exult when he is raised; ¹⁰ but let one who is rich exult in being lowered; for the rich will pass away like the flower of the grass — ¹¹ up comes the sun with the scorching wind and withers the grass, its flower drops off, and the splendour of it is ruined: so shall the rich fade away amid their pursuits. ¹² Blessed is he who endures under trial; for when he has stood the test, he will gain the crown of life which is promised to all who love Him. ¹³ Let no one who is tried by temptation say, 'My temptation comes from God'; God is incapable of being tempted by evil and he tempts no one. ¹⁴ Everyone is tempted as he is beguiled and allured by his own desire; ¹⁵ then Desire conceives and breeds Sin, while Sin matures and gives birth to Death. ¹⁶ Make no mistake about this, my beloved brothers: ¹⁷ all we are given is good, and all our endowments are faultless, descending from above, from the Father of the heavenly lights, who knows no change of rising and setting, who casts no shadow on the earth. ¹⁸ It was his own will that we should be born by the Word of the truth, to be a kind of firstfruits among his creatures. ¹⁹ Be sure of that, my beloved brothers. Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to talk, slow to be angry — ²⁰ for human anger does not promote divine righteousness; ²¹ so clear away all the foul rank growth of malice, and make a soil of modesty for the Word which roots itself inwardly with power to save your souls. ²² Act on the Word, instead of merely listening to it and deluding yourselves. ²³ For whoever listens and does nothing, is like a man who glances at his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴ he glances at himself, goes off, and at once forgets what he was like. ²⁵ Whereas he who gazes into the faultless law of freedom and remains in that position, proving himself to be no forgetful listener but an active agent, he will be blessed in his activity. ²⁶ Whoever considers he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, his religion is futile. ²⁷ Pure, unsoiled religion in the judgment of God the Father means this: to care for orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself from the stain of the world.

⁸ no man can tame the tongue — plague of disorder that it is, full of deadly venom!

¹¹ [vss 11 & 12 follow 2:13] Do not defame one another, brothers; he who defames or judges his brother defames and judges the Law; and if you judge the Law, you pass sentence on it instead of obeying it.

²⁹ till they are filled with all manner of wickedness, depravity, lust, and viciousness, filled to the brim with envy, murder, quarrels, intrigues, and malignity — slanderers,

¹³ Besides, they become idle unconsciously by gadding about from one house to another — and not merely idle but gossips and busybodies, repeating things they have no right to mention.