What The Bible Says About Lies, Gossip, Quarrelling, Insulting Language And Dirty Jokes
What The Bible Says About Lies, Gossip, Quarrelling, Insulting Language And Dirty Jokes |
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This page contains Bible quotes about the standards of decency people ought to live up to, such as being honest and not abusive, even verbally. After the Bible quotes, there are links to articles with advice on honesty, gossip, rumours and hoaxes, and unkind and dirty language.
Proverbs chapter 11 (TEV)
3 If you are good, you are guided by honesty. People who can't be trusted are destroyed by their own dishonesty.
13 The wicked are trapped by their own words, but honest people get themselves out of trouble.
Proverbs chapter 26 (TEV)
28 You have to hate someone to want to hurt him with lies. Insincere talk brings nothing but ruin.
Proverbs chapter 12 (TEV)
5 Honest people will treat you fairly; the wicked only want to deceive you.
Proverbs chapter 28 (TEV)
23 Correct someone, and afterward he will appreciate it more than flattery.
Proverbs chapter 24 (TEV)
26 An honest answer is a sign of true friendship.
Proverbs chapter 27 (TEV)
5 Better to correct someone openly than to let him think you don't care for him at all.
6 Friends mean well, even when they hurt you. But when an enemy puts his arm around your shoulder-watch out!
Proverbs chapter 15 (NLT)
32 If you reject criticism, you only harm yourself; but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding.
Proverbs chapter 15 (TEV)
28 Good people think before they answer. Evil people have a quick reply, but it causes trouble.
Colossians chapter 3 (TEV)
8 No insults or obscene talk must ever come from your lips. 9 Do not lie to one another, for you have put off the old self with its habits 10 and have put on the new self. This is the new being which God, its Creator, is constantly renewing in his own image, in order to bring you to a full knowledge of himself.
Proverbs chapter 28 (TEV)
18 Be honest and you will be safe. If you are dishonest, you will suddenly fall.
19 A lie has a short life, but truth lives on forever.
Proverbs chapter 29 (TEV)
5 If you flatter your friends, you set a trap for yourself.
Proverbs chapter 26 (TEV)
24 A hypocrite hides hate behind flattering words. 25 They may sound fine, but don't believe him, because his heart is filled to the brim with hate. 26 He may disguise his hatred, but everyone will see the evil things he does.
Proverbs chapter 23 (TEV)
6 Don't eat at the table of a stingy person or be greedy for the fine food he serves. 7 "Come on and have some more," he says, but he doesn't mean it. What he thinks is what he really is. 8 You will vomit up what you have eaten, and all your flattery will be wasted.
Proverbs chapter 26 (TEV)
23 Insincere talk that hides what you are really thinking is like a fine glaze on a cheap clay pot.
Ephesians chapter 4 (TEV)
25 No more lying, then! Each of you must tell the truth to the other believer, because we are all members together in the body of Christ.
Proverbs chapter 26 (NLT)
18 Just as damaging as a mad man shooting a lethal weapon 19 is someone who lies to a friend and then says, "I was only joking."
Proverbs chapter 14 (TEV)
2 Be honest and you show that you have reverence for the Lord; be dishonest and you show that you do not.
Psalm 15 (TEV)
1 Lord, who may enter your temple?
Who may worship on Zion, your sacred hill?
2 Those who obey God in everything
and always do what is right,
whose words are true and sincere,
3 and who does not slander others.
They do no wrong to their friends
nor spread rumors about their neighbors.
Proverbs chapter 25 (TEV)
9 If you and your neighbor have a difference of opinion, settle it between yourselves and do not reveal any secrets. 10 Otherwise everyone will learn that you can't keep a secret, and you will never live down the shame.
Proverbs chapter 20 (TEV)
19 A gossip can never keep a secret. Stay away from people who talk too much.
Leviticus chapter 19 (TEV)
1 The LORD ... said to Moses, 2 "Say this to the entire community of Israel: You must be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.
17 "Do not bear a grudge against others, but settle your differences with them, so that you will not commit a sin because of them. 18 Do not take revenge on others or continue to hate them, but love your neighbors as you love yourself. I am the Lord.
Proverbs chapter 10 (TEV)
10 Someone who holds back the truth causes trouble, but one who openly criticizes works for peace.
Proverbs chapter 29 (TEV)
1 If you get more stubborn every time you are corrected, one day you will be crushed and never recover.
James chapter 5 (NLT)
9 Don't grumble about each other, my brothers and sisters, or God will judge you. For look! The great Judge is coming. He is standing at the door!
Proverbs chapter 26 (TEV)
22 Gossip is so tasty! How we love to swallow it!
Psalm 4 (NLT)
1 For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by stringed instruments.
Answer me when I call,
O God who declares me innocent.
Take away my distress.
Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
2 How long will you people ruin my reputation?
How long will you make these groundless accusations?
How long will you pursue lies?
Interlude
3 You can be sure of this:
The LORD has set apart the godly for himself.
The LORD will answer when I call to him.
4 Don't sin by letting anger gain control over you.
Interlude
Think about it overnight and remain silent.
Proverbs chapter 12 (TEV)
18 Thoughtless words can wound as deeply as any sword, but wisely spoken words can heal.
Proverbs chapter 26 (TEV)
20 Without wood, a fire goes out; without gossip, quarreling stops.
21 Charcoal keeps the embers glowing, wood keeps the fire burning, and troublemakers keep arguments alive.
Proverbs chapter 13 (TEV)
20 Keep company with the wise and you will become wise. If you make friends with stupid people, you will be ruined.
Proverbs chapter 12 (NLT)
26 The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray.
Proverbs chapter 10 (TEV)
11 A good person's words are a fountain of life, but a wicked person's words hide a violent nature.
Proverbs chapter 12 (NLT)
25 Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.
Luke chapter 6 (TEV)
45 A good person brings good out of the treasure of good things in his heart; a bad person brings bad out of his treasure of bad things. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
Proverbs chapter 16 (TEV)
27 Evil people look for ways to harm others; even their words burn with evil.
28 Gossip is spread by wicked people; they stir up trouble and break up friendships.
Proverbs chapter 10 (TEV)
14 The wise get all the knowledge they can, but when fools speak, trouble is not far off.
8 Sensible people accept good advice. People who talk foolishly will come to ruin.
Proverbs chapter 17 (TEV)
27 Those who are sure of themselves do not talk all the time. People who stay calm have real insight. 28 After all, even fools may be thought wise and intelligent if they stay quiet and keep their mouths shut.
Proverbs chapter 29 (TEV)
20 There is more hope for a stupid fool than for someone who speaks without thinking.
Proverbs chapter 12 (TEV)
1 Any who love knowledge want to be told when they are wrong. It is stupid to hate being corrected.
Proverbs chapter 23 (TEV)
9 Don't try to talk sense to a fool; he can't appreciate it.
Proverbs chapter 12 (TEV)
15 Stupid people always think they are right. Wise people listen to advice.
Psalm 1 (GWT)
1 Blessed is the person who does not follow the advice of wicked people,
take the path of sinners,
or join the company of mockers.
2 Rather, he delights in the teachings of the LORD
and reflects on his teachings day and night.
Proverbs chapter 15 (NLT)
33 Fear of the LORD teaches a person to be wise; humility precedes honor.
Proverbs chapter 15 (TEV)
2 When wise people speak, they make knowledge attractive, but stupid people spout nonsense.
Proverbs chapter 26 (TEV)
4 If you answer a silly question, you are just as silly as the person who asked it. 5 Give a silly answer to a silly question, and the one who asked it will realize that he's not as smart as he thinks.
Proverbs chapter 18 (NLT)
2 Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.
Proverbs chapter 22 (TEV)
10 Get rid of a conceited person, and then there will be no more arguments, quarreling, or name-calling.
Proverbs chapter 27 (TEV)
14 You might as well curse your friends as wake them up early in the morning with a loud greeting.
Proverbs chapter 16 (TEV)
1 A gentle answer quiets anger, but a harsh one stirs it up.
Proverbs chapter 18 (TEV)
19 Help your relatives and they will protect you like a strong city wall, but if you quarrel with them, they will close their doors to you.
Proverbs chapter 12 (TEV)
16 When a fool is annoyed, he quickly lets it be known. Smart people will ignore an insult.
Proverbs chapter 10 (TEV)
18 Anyone who hides hatred is a liar.
Anyone who spreads gossip is a fool.
Matthew chapter 12 (TEV)
34 You snakes-how can you say good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. 35 A good person brings good things out of a treasure of good things; a bad person brings bad things out of a treasure of bad things.
36 "You can be sure that on the Judgment Day you will have to give account of every useless word you have ever spoken. 37 Your words will be used to judge you-to declare you either innocent or guilty."
Proverbs chapter 10 (TEV)
19 The more you talk, the more likely you are to sin. If you are wise, you will keep quiet.
Proverbs chapter 18 (TEV)
20 You will have to live with the consequences of everything you say.
21 What you say can preserve life or destroy it; so you must accept the consequences of your words.
Proverbs chapter 14 (TEV)
5 A reliable witness always tells the truth, but an unreliable one tells nothing but lies.
Proverbs chapter 19 (TEV)
5 If you tell lies in court, you will be punished-there will be no escape.
Proverbs chapter 20 (TEV)
3 Any fool can start arguments; the honorable thing is to stay out of them.
Proverbs chapter 15 (TEV)
26 The Lord hates evil thoughts, but he is pleased with friendly words.
1 Peter chapter 2 (TEV)
1 Rid yourselves, then, of all evil; no more lying or hypocrisy or jealousy or insulting language. 2 Be like newborn babies, always thirsty for the pure spiritual milk, so that by drinking it you may grow up and be saved.
Ephesians chapter 5 (NLT)
4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes - these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God.
Proverbs chapter 13 (NLT)
13 People who despise advice will find themselves in trouble; those who respect it will succeed.
18 If you ignore criticism, you will end in poverty and disgrace; if you accept criticism, you will be honored.
3 Those who control their tongue will have a long life; a quick retort can ruin everything.
Proverbs chapter 18 (NLT)
8 What dainty morsels rumors are - but they sink deep into one's heart.
Proverbs chapter 25 (TEV)
23 Gossip brings anger just as surely as the north wind brings rain.
Proverbs chapter 16 (TEV)
7 When you please the Lord, you can make your enemies into friends.
James chapter 1 (TEV)
26 Do any of you think you are religious? If you do not control your tongue, your religion is worthless and you deceive yourself. 27 What God the Father considers to be pure and genuine religion is this: to take care of orphans and widows in their suffering and to keep oneself from being corrupted by the world.
Revelation chapter 21 (TEV)
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth disappeared, and the sea vanished. 2 And I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared and ready, like a bride dressed to meet her husband. 3 I heard a loud voice speaking from the throne: "Now God's home is with people! He will live with them, and they shall be his people. God himself will be with them, and he will be their God. 4 He will wipe away all tears from their eyes. There will be no more death, no more grief or crying or pain. The old things have disappeared."
Revelation chapter 22 (TEV)
12 "Listen!" says Jesus. "I am coming soon! I will bring my rewards with me, to give to each one according to what he has done. 13 I am the first and the last, the beginning and the end." 14 Happy are those who wash their robes clean and so have the right to eat the fruit from the tree of life and to go through the gates into the city. 15 But outside the city are the perverts and those who practice magic, the immoral and the murderers, those who worship idols and those who are liars, both in words and deeds.
27 Nothing that is impure will enter the city, nor anyone who does shameful things or tells lies.
Proverbs chapter 15 (TEV)
4 Kind words bring life, but cruel words crush your spirit.
Proverbs chapter 11 (TEV)
9 You can be ruined by the talk of godless people, but the wisdom of the righteous can save you.
Proverbs chapter 14 (TEV)
6 Conceited people can never become wise, but intelligent people learn easily.
7 Stay away from foolish people; they have nothing to teach you.
Proverbs chapter 9 (TEV)
7 If you correct conceited people, you will only be insulted. If you reprimand evil people, you will only get hurt. 8 Never correct conceited people; they will hate you for it. But if you correct the wise, they will respect you. 9 Anything you say to the wise will make them wiser. Whatever you tell the righteous will add to their knowledge.
Proverbs chapter 19 (TEV)
8 Why is a clever person wise? Because he knows what to do. Why is a stupid person foolish? Because he only thinks he knows.
Matthew chapter 7 (NLT)
6 "Don't give what is holy to unholy people. Don't give pearls to swine! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.
James chapter 3 (NLT)
3 We can make a large horse turn around and go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 4 And a tiny rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot wants it to go, even though the winds are strong. 5 So also, the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6 And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself. 7 People can tame all kinds of animals and birds and reptiles and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is an uncontrollable evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it breaks out into curses against those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! 11 Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? 12 Can you pick olives from a fig tree or figs from a grapevine? No, and you can't draw fresh water from a salty pool.
Proverbs chapter 10 (TEV)
32 Righteous people know the kind thing to say, but the wicked are always saying things that hurt.
Proverbs chapter 21 (TEV)
23 If you want to stay out of trouble, be careful what you say.
Proverbs chapter 15 (NLT)
14 A wise person is hungry for truth, while the fool feeds on trash.
Proverbs chapter 14 (NLT)
16 The wise are cautious and avoid danger; fools plunge ahead with great confidence.
Proverbs chapter 29 (TEV)
9 When an intelligent person brings a lawsuit against a fool, the fool only laughs and becomes loud and abusive.
Proverbs chapter 15 (TEV)
12 Conceited people do not like to be corrected; they never ask for advice from those who are wiser.
Proverbs chapter 11 (TEV)
12 It is foolish to speak scornfully of others. If you are smart, you will keep quiet.
13 No one who gossips can be trusted with a secret, but you can put confidence in someone who is trustworthy.
9 People hate a person who has nothing but scorn for others.
Matthew chapter 5 (TEV)
22 If you call your brother "You good-for-nothing!' you will be brought before the Council, and if you call your brother a worthless fool you will be in danger of going to the fire of hell.
Proverbs chapter 16 (TEV)
21 A wise, mature person is known for his understanding. The more pleasant his words, the more persuasive he is.
In bringing up children, or in trying to get on with husband or wife or colleague at work, we know how we want them to behave and to treat us and, particularly in the case of children, we often tell them how we want them to behave. Sometimes in response to instruction children do attempt to do as we ask: to stop interrupting, to stop fighting, to wash themselves or to get in on time. This is the cue to give immediate positive reinforcement, to say something along the lines of, "You've come in on time tonight; thank you very much", with pleasure in one's voice. In this way the other person gains something immediately for his efforts; both verbal and non-verbal recognition. In practice, what often seems to happen is that the parent or wife says something like "Well well; so you've actually managed to get in on time for once", in a voice heavy with sarcasm; this has the immediate effect of providing negative reinforcement, and the attempt to get in on time has been discouraged rather than encouraged. ...
... "When a mother, with the best of intentions, nags her children to do their homework, her object is to get them to complete the exercises set, but instead of rewarding and commending their efforts whenever they do settle down to work, she may well be in fact offering considerable punishment, saying, "You haven't done very much" or "Your teacher's not going to think much of that"; in other words, once again the costs exceed the benefits, so that ... the young person has no incentive to remain engaged in the undertaking. While the mother might well claim that she gave her children a lot of encouragement with their homework, this encouragement is often not perceived by her children as such: rather it is perceived as nagging, a punishment rather than a reward."
Ephesians chapter 4 (TEV)
29 Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you.
Proverbs chapter 16 (TEV)
23 Intelligent people think before they speak; what they say is then more persuasive.
Proverbs chapter 15 (NLT)
31 If you listen to constructive criticism, you will be at home among the wise.
Proverbs chapter 18 (TEV)
13 Listen before you answer. If you don't, you are being stupid and insulting.
James chapter 1 (NLT)
19 My dear brothers and sisters, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 20 Your anger can never make things right in God's sight.
Colossians chapter 3 (NLT)
17 And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father.
The extract from the book "Psychology for Social Workers and Counsellors" by Carole Sutton has been used with the kind permission of the publisher Routledge. The book was published in 1983.
The main Bible pages on this site:
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Bible Part 1: Bible Quotations, The Holy Spirit, People And Their Stories |
| Bible Part 2: The Lives and Suffering of the Ancient Israelites | |
| Bible Part 3: The Bible, Articles About Alleged Inaccuracies in it, And Stories of People who Became Christians. | |
| Go to the next in the series: Lustful and nasty thoughts. | |
| If this is the first selection of Bible passages on my website you've come across and you'd like to read a short summary of the basic Christian beliefs, visit: What do Christians believe? | |
| For those who'd like to read some jokes that are clean and yet funny, visit: Christian Jokes, the first in a section on this site of clean, reasonably tasteful jokes that don't belittle any group. | |
The selections of Bible quotations have been put together by Diana Holbourn.
Throughout this series, wherever the initials TEV appear, they stand for Today's English Version (The Good News Bible).
Other initials:Don't be afraid to question the truth of what a religious authority figure tells you, or even the Bible or other holy books themselves, or certain people's interpretation of them. Nothing to do with religion or the supernatural is so well established in fact it shouldn't be questioned. To find out why caution is a good idea, visit:
Are you up to trying the challenges of the New Testament's moral guidelines, and would you like to know more of what it says about the love of Jesus? Here are some links to Bible quotes about the beautiful ideals the New Testament encourages Christians to try to live up to:
There are a lot of pages on this website with quotations from the Old Testament on them. Many of these are unfortunately rather gruesome, since the main theme of the Old Testament is warnings and stories about how it says societies were punished for mass lawless and hurtful behaviour, even to the extent of having war brought on them by God, that seem to have been designed to scare societies where crime and violence were rampant into behaving more ethically. In case there is any misunderstanding, it should be understood that this website does not endorse war as anything other than a last resort. The position of the website owner can be gleaned from the articles:
Fancy some light relief or laughter therapy? Then go to the first of our jokes pages:
If you have a problem affecting your mental health or well-being, like depression, a difficulty with life-damaging worry, panic attacks, phobias or OCD, marriage problems, an addiction, an eating disorder, recovering from the trauma of sexual abuse or domestic violence, coping with bullies in the workplace, or bullying and teasing at school, trying to lose weight, raising difficult teenagers, caring for someone with a disease like Alzheimer's, wanting to recover from anorexia or self-harm, or grieving for someone you were close to or feeling lonely, and you'd like some ideas on coping or getting past it, visit our Self-help series.
If this is the first page you have visited on this site, this is part of Broadcaster.org.uk, a website about social and psychological issues, what the Bible says about social problems and other topics, and how they affect people's lives today.
Go to the Broadcaster.org.uk home page to find out more.....