James 3:5 Cross References

James 3:5

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.

"My people bend their tongues like bows to shoot lies. They refuse to stand up for the truth. And they only go from bad to worse! They care nothing for me," says the LORD.
"Beware of your neighbor! Beware of your brother! They all take advantage of one another and spread their slanderous lies.
They all fool and defraud each other; no one tells the truth. With practiced tongues they tell lies; they wear themselves out with all their sinning.
They pile lie upon lie and utterly refuse to come to me," says the LORD.
Therefore, the LORD Almighty says, "See, I will melt them in a crucible and test them like metal. What else can I do with them?

Those who love to talk will experience the consequences, for the tongue can kill or nourish life.

They scoff and speak only evil; in their pride they seek to crush others.
They boast against the very heavens, and their words strut throughout the earth.

You call yourself a hero, do you? Why boast about this crime of yours, you who have disgraced God's people?
All day long you plot destruction. Your tongue cuts like a sharp razor; you're an expert at telling lies.

For they brag about their evil desires; they praise the greedy and curse the LORD.

Neighbors lie to each other, speaking with flattering lips and insincere hearts.
May the LORD bring their flattery to an end and silence their proud tongues.
They say, "We will lie to our hearts' content. Our lips are our own--who can stop us?"

"Son of man, give the prince of Tyre this message from the Sovereign LORD: In your great pride you claim, `I am a god! I sit on a divine throne in the heart of the sea.' But you are only a man and not a god, though you boast that you are like a god.

Then the people said, "Come on, let's find a way to stop Jeremiah. We have our own priests and wise men and prophets. We don't need him to teach the law and give us advice and prophecies. Let's spread rumors about him and ignore what he says."

Then the beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God. And he was given authority to do what he wanted for forty-two months.
And he spoke terrible words of blasphemy against God, slandering his name and all who live in heaven, who are his temple.

These people are grumblers and complainers, doing whatever evil they feel like. They are loudmouthed braggarts, and they flatter others to get favors in return.

They brag about themselves with empty, foolish boasting. With lustful desire as their bait, they lure back into sin those who have just escaped from such wicked living.

All this, even though they say to God, `Go away. We want no part of you and your ways.
Who is the Almighty, and why should we obey him? What good will it do us if we pray?'

As he looked out across the city, he said, `Just look at this great city of Babylon! I, by my own mighty power, have built this beautiful city as my royal residence and as an expression of my royal splendor.'

`Whom do you think you have been insulting and ridiculing? Against whom did you raise your voice? At whom did you look in such proud condescension? It was the Holy One of Israel!
By your messengers you have mocked the Lord. You have said, "With my many chariots I have conquered the highest mountains--yes, the remotest peaks of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars and its choicest cypress trees. I have reached its farthest corners and explored its deepest forests.
I have dug wells in many a foreign land and refreshed myself with their water. I even stopped up the rivers of Egypt so that my armies could go across!"

"The enemy said, `I will chase them, catch up with them, and destroy them. I will divide the plunder, avenging myself against them. I will unsheath my sword; my power will destroy them.'

I will give you one more chance. If you bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments, all will be well. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. What god will be able to rescue you from my power then?"

"Is that so?" retorted Pharaoh. "And who is the LORD that I should listen to him and let Israel go? I don't know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go."

Give them this message from the Sovereign LORD: I am your enemy, O Pharaoh, king of Egypt--you great monster, lurking in the streams of the Nile. For you have said, `The Nile River is mine; I made it for myself!'

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