Lamentations 3:62

but nobody can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

“Their throat is an open tomb. With their tongues they have used deceit.” “The poison of vipers is under their lips.”

Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.

But I was like a gentle lamb that is led to the slaughter. I didn’t know that they had devised plans against me, saying, “Let’s destroy the tree with its fruit, and let’s cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered.”

My soul is among lions. I lie among those who are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.

Their poison is like the poison of a snake, like a deaf cobra that stops its ear,

The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings out that which is good, and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings out that which is evil, for out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks.

You say, ‘What does God know? Can he judge through the thick darkness?

He says in his heart, “God has forgotten. He hides his face. He will never see it.”

For they intended evil against you. They plotted evil against you which cannot succeed.

An evil man is trapped by sinfulness of lips, but the righteous shall come out of trouble.

The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of fools gush out folly.

For I have heard the defaming of many, “Terror on every side! Denounce, and we will denounce him!” say all my familiar friends, those who watch for my fall. “Perhaps he will be persuaded, and we will prevail against him, and we will take our revenge on him.”

therefore prophesy, and say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Because, even because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that you might be a possession to the residue of the nations, and you are taken up in the lips of talkers, and the evil report of the people;”

therefore the Lord Yahweh says: “Surely in the fire of my jealousy I have spoken against the residue of the nations, and against all Edom, that have appointed my land to themselves for a possession with the joy of all their heart, with despite of soul, to cast it out for a prey.” ’

For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of Yahweh of Armies.

So the tongue is also a little member, and boasts great things. See how a small fire can spread to a large forest!

You shall come to the priests who are Levites and to the judge who shall be in those days. You shall inquire, and they shall give you the verdict.

He hired so that I would be afraid, do so, and sin, and that they might have material for an evil report, that they might reproach me.

He takes the wise in their own craftiness; the counsel of the cunning is carried headlong.

In arrogance, the wicked hunt down the weak. They are caught in the schemes that they devise.

His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and oppression. Under his tongue is mischief and iniquity.

who have said, “With our tongue we will prevail. Our lips are our own. Who is lord over us?”

In the shelter of your presence you will hide them from the plotting of man. You will keep them secretly in a dwelling away from the strife of tongues.

Behold, they spew with their mouth. Swords are in their lips, “For”, they say, “who hears us?”

For the sin of their mouth, and the words of their lips, let them be caught in their pride, for the curses and lies which they utter.

who sharpen their tongue like a sword, and aim their arrows, deadly words,

They say, “How does God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?”

They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent. Viper’s poison is under their lips.

There is one who speaks rashly like the piercing of a sword, but the tongue of the wise heals.

A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are a snare to his soul.

The ways of the scoundrel are evil. He devises wicked plans to destroy the humble with lying words, even when the needy speaks right.

They are all grievous rebels, going around to slander. They are bronze and iron. All of them deal corruptly.

“Now therefore, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Yahweh says: “Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a plan against you. Everyone return from his evil way now, and amend your ways and your doings.” ’

to make their land an astonishment, and a perpetual hissing. Everyone who passes by it will be astonished, and shake his head.

They say continually to those who despise me, ‘Yahweh has said, “You will have peace;” ’ and to everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart they say, ‘No evil will come on you.’

When he was in Benjamin’s gate, a captain of the guard was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he seized Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “You are defecting to the Chaldeans!”

then Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men spoke, saying to Jeremiah, “You speak falsely. Yahweh our God has not sent you to say, ‘You shall not go into Egypt to live there;’

Mischief will come on mischief, and rumor will be on rumor. They will seek a vision of the prophet; but the law will perish from the priest, and counsel from the elders.

There is cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break boundaries, and bloodshed causes bloodshed.

You are to teach the children of Israel all the statutes which Yahweh has spoken to them by Moses.”

The land also will be left by them, and will enjoy its Sabbaths while it lies desolate without them; and they will accept the punishment of their iniquity because they rejected my ordinances, and their soul abhorred my statutes.

You will become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword among all the peoples where Yahweh will lead you away.

Their wine is the poison of serpents, the cruel venom of asps.

He said of his father, and of his mother, ‘I have not seen him.’ He didn’t acknowledge his brothers, nor did he know his own children; for they have observed your word, and keep your covenant.

Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother’s brothers, and spoke with them and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying,

Someone told David, saying, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” David said, “Yahweh, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.”

Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.” For Yahweh had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that Yahweh might bring evil on Absalom.

The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Yahweh, Micaiah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.” Jehoshaphat said, “Don’t let the king say so.”

Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, “Which way did Yahweh’s Spirit go from me to speak to you?”

The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Yahweh; but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil. He is Micaiah the son of Imla.” Jehoshaphat said, “Don’t let the king say so.”

They conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of Yahweh’s house.

“How long will you torment me, and crush me with words?

Everyone lies to his neighbor. They speak with flattering lips, and with a double heart.

Let the lying lips be mute, which speak against the righteous insolently, with pride and contempt.

Don’t let them say in their heart, “Aha! That’s the way we want it!” Don’t let them say, “We have swallowed him up!”

Hear my cry, God. Listen to my prayer.

They encourage themselves in evil plans. They talk about laying snares secretly. They say, “Who will see them?”

Their own tongues shall ruin them. All who see them will shake their heads.

Those who sit in the gate talk about me. I am the song of the drunkards.

Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Let it be known among the nations, before our eyes, that vengeance for your servants’ blood is being poured out.

They pour out arrogant words. All the evildoers boast.

Let’s swallow them up alive like Sheol, and whole, like those who go down into the pit.

A worthless person, a man of iniquity, is he who walks with a perverse mouth,

The heart of the righteous weighs answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes out evil.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue; those who love it will eat its fruit.

Woe to those who deeply hide their counsel from Yahweh, and whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, “Who sees us?” and “Who knows us?”

The priests didn’t say, ‘Where is Yahweh?’ and those who handle the law didn’t know me. The rulers also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal and followed things that do not profit.

Then they said, “Come! Let’s devise plans against Jeremiah; for the law won’t perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let’s strike him with the tongue, and let’s not give heed to any of his words.”

I will even give them up to be tossed back and forth among all the kingdoms of the earth for evil; to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places where I will drive them.

Then the priests and the prophets spoke to the princes and to all the people, saying, “This man is worthy of death; for he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your ears.”

“Don’t consider what this people has spoken, saying, ‘Has Yahweh cast off the two families which he chose?’ Thus they despise my people, that they should be no more a nation before them.”

But we will certainly perform every word that has gone out of our mouth, to burn incense to the queen of the sky, and to pour out drink offerings to her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then had we plenty of food, and were well, and saw no evil.

“Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon has devoured me. He has crushed me. He has made me an empty vessel. He has, like a monster, swallowed me up. He has filled his mouth with my delicacies. He has cast me out.

The Lord has swallowed up all the dwellings of Jacob without pity. He has thrown down in his wrath the strongholds of the daughter of Judah. He has brought them down to the ground. He has profaned the kingdom and its princes.

The Lord has become as an enemy. He has swallowed up Israel. He has swallowed up all her palaces. He has destroyed his strongholds. He has multiplied mourning and lamentation in the daughter of Judah.

“ ‘Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, “Peace;” and there is no peace. When one builds up a wall, behold, they plaster it with whitewash.

Lord, according to all your righteousness, let your anger and please let your wrath be turned away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a reproach to all who are around us.

You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying this you insult us also.”

Those of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?”

“Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”

Being defamed, we entreat. We are made as the filth of the world, the dirt wiped off by all, even until now.

And the tongue is a fire. The world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and is set on fire by Gehenna.

With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men who are made in the image of God.