1-2 Brothers and sisters, only a few of you should become teachers, not many. I say that because God wants us all to be good, but he wants those of us who teach other people to be especially good.

Sometimes all of us say bad words that God doesn't like. But when we teachers do that, it is much worse. You think you never say anything wrong but you speak only good words, do you? If you never said anything wrong, then you would be perfect! You would be able to control your own mind, you would be able to control yourself all the time.

3-5 Our tongues are very small but they have big words. A tongue is like something that people put in a horse's mouth so they can control the horse. When the horse feels the thing in its mouth pulling it to the right, then the horse turns to the right. When it pulls the horse to the left, the horse turns to the left. So the horse always obeys people.

Now let us think about big ships. A ship has a little rudder. Even if a strong wind blows the ship away, a man can control the ship with a little rudder. And a little tongue is like that, it is like the little thing in the horse's mouth and the ship's rudder. It is small but it can speak big words about all kinds of things. Look! Even though a fire starts off small, it gets big and spreads and then it can burn big trees and burn off a big area.

6 The tongue is like a fire. Our tongues keep on talking carelessly. They speak all kinds of bad words. And those words that come out of our mouths spoil us. They spoil our bodies, our heads and our hearts, just like a fire that spoils the country. Those bad words have spoilt us from when we were born and they will go on spoiling us until we die. Bad words like that come from Satan.

7 Some people can make wild animals and birds and snakes and fish tame so they are quiet. 8 But we can't tame our tongues. Our tongues are like the bite of a death adder that is poisonous and will make us die.

9 You and I praise our Lord and Father with our tongues. But we speak bad words with them too, and we curse other people. God made those people, he made them like himself. 10 Out of the same mouth come good words to God and bad words to other people. Brothers and sisters, that is very bad. 11 Look! A freshwater spring on dry land can't make salty water come out of it. Of course not! Only fresh water can flow from it. 12 And also, sand fig trees never have wild plums on them and a grape vine never has figs. That is impossible! And a freshwater spring on dry land can't make salty water come out of it. But out of our mouths come both good and bad words, and that is very bad.

13 If you are wise, you will do what is good and nothing else. If you are really wise, other people will see that you are good all the time. Don't be proud, go carefully and then other people will see that you are good.

14 If you are always thinking about yourself, if you are jealous of other people and always arguing with them, don't be proud, saying, “We are wise,” because that is bad. Maybe you are not wise, maybe you are tricking yourselves.

15 God didn't teach you bad things like that. Satan taught you that. People who don't know God are the ones who have that kind of knowledge. 16 If any of you are jealous and always thinking about yourselves, you will make trouble for yourselves and for other people and you will do all kinds of bad things.

17 But God taught you to be wise like him. If you follow God's way, then you will go straight, you will go peacefully and you will be gentle and willing to listen. You will have pity on other people and look after them. You will know about doing only what is right and nothing wrong, and so you will keep on doing what is right. You won't tell lies or think bad things about other people. When you do anything wrong, you won't say, “Look, I have done right.” You will be honest. 18 You people who are quiet and peaceful will stop other people from fighting. When others see you always doing good, they will want to do what is right too.