1DO not, many of you, become teachers, my brethren, for you know that we will receive severer judgment. 2For in many ways we all stumble. If any one never stumbles in his talk, he is a perfect man, able to bridle also the whole body. 3If we put bits into the horses' mouths to make them obey us, we turn about their whole bodies. 4See the ships; great as they are and driven by violent winds, they are turned about by a very small rudder wherever the desire of the helmsman chooses. 5Just so the tongue is a small member, but boasts of great things. Think how small a fire may be and yet how vast the forest that it may set ablaze. 6And the tongue is a fire, a world of wickedness. The tongue stands among our members as that which spots the whole body and sets on fire the wheel of nature and is itself set on fire by Gehenna. 7For every kind of wild beasts and birds and reptiles and animals from the sea is tamed and has been tamed by human kind, 8but the tongue no man is able to tame. It is a restless evil; it is full of deadly poison. 9With it we bless the Lord our Father and with it we curse the men who are made in the image of God. 10From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. This, my brethren, should not be so. 11Does a spring pour out from the same opening sweet water and bitter? 12Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a vine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh water. 13Who is wise and intelligent among you? Let him show out of the noble life that he lives his works in wise gentleness. 14But if you have bitter jealousy and party-spirit in your hearts, do not boast and falsely contradict the truth. 15This wisdom does not come down from on high, but is earthly, animal, demoniacal. 16For where jealousy and party-spirit are, there is confusion and every base affair. 17But the wisdom from on high is first pure, then peaceable, fair-minded, easily persuaded, full of compassion and good fruits, impartial, sincere. 18The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.