James 3:6

Plain English Version

In the same way each of us has a little tongue, and it is like a little spark of fire inside us. It can say really bad things, and tell lies, and then that can make the rest of our bodies bad. Our tongues can make everything in our lives go wrong, like a spark of fire can make a big bush fire. The devil, the boss over the bad spirits from hell, he makes us say those bad things. It is like he uses our tongues to start that fire, and it grows like a bush fire, and it gets us into a lot of trouble.

Cross References

2 Samuel 16:20

So Absalom said to that wise man, Ahithofel, “All right, tell us, what do we do first?”

Matthew 5:22

But now I’m telling you this. Don’t even get angry with anybody. That is bad too. If you are angry with somebody, God will be your judge, and he will punish you. Or if you call somebody bad names, you will end up in God’s court. And if you get really angry with somebody, and if you tell them, ‘You are a stupid fool,’ God will judge you for that, and he can send you into the big fire called hell.”

Mark 7:15

It’s not the things you eat that make you no good. Don’t worry about what goes into you, but worry about what comes out of you. It’s the things that come out of you that make you no good.”

Luke 16:24

So he yelled out loud. He said, ‘Grand-father Abraham, this fire is hurting me a lot. Feel sorry for me, and send Lazarus to bring some water to me, and put his finger in it and then put it on my tongue, to cool it a little bit.’

Acts 5:3

Then Peter said to him, “Ananias, why did you listen to Satan, the boss over the bad spirits? Why did you let him be your boss? He even got you to lie to the Holy Spirit. You kept some of that money for yourself, the money you got for that land.

Acts 6:13

Those men from that meeting house of the free men got those liars to stand up and say, “Stephen keeps on talking against this ceremony house. And he keeps on talking against our Jewish law.

Titus 1:11

Those people teach things that are wrong. They trick whole families. And they only do that to get money from people. So you have to stop them.

James 2:7

And they talk against Jesus Christ. You belong to Jesus Christ, but they rubbish him.

James 3:7

People can control all sorts of wild animals, and birds, and snakes, and fish. They can make them quiet and train them to do whatever their boss wants them to do.

2 Peter 3:3

And this is very important, so I want you to understand it. These days are the last days of this world, and now some people will come and laugh at you, and they will say that you are stupid. Those people always do any bad thing they feel like doing. They laugh at God’s true story.