100 Bible Verses about Talking Too Much

Proverbs 10:19 ESV / 766 helpful votes

When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

Proverbs 17:28 ESV / 708 helpful votes

Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.

Proverbs 18:2 ESV / 678 helpful votes

A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.

James 1:19 ESV / 619 helpful votes

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

Proverbs 21:23 ESV / 511 helpful votes

Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.

Psalm 141:3 ESV / 497 helpful votes

Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!

Proverbs 29:20 ESV / 449 helpful votes

Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

Matthew 12:36 ESV / 367 helpful votes

I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,

Proverbs 13:3 ESV / 349 helpful votes

Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

Ecclesiastes 5:2 ESV / 285 helpful votes

Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.

Ecclesiastes 9:17 ESV / 258 helpful votes

The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools.

Proverbs 14:23 ESV / 235 helpful votes

In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.

James 3:6 ESV / 225 helpful votes

And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.

Proverbs 15:1-33 ESV / 221 helpful votes

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly. The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit. A fool despises his father's instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is prudent. ...

Proverbs 18:21 ESV / 220 helpful votes

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

Ecclesiastes 5:7 ESV / 214 helpful votes

For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear.

Proverbs 17:27 ESV / 194 helpful votes

Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.

Proverbs 30:32 ESV / 182 helpful votes

If you have been foolish, exalting yourself, or if you have been devising evil, put your hand on your mouth.

2 Timothy 2:16 ESV / 179 helpful votes

But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness,

James 3:2-11 ESV / 156 helpful votes

For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. ...

Proverbs 12:18 ESV / 150 helpful votes

There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Amos 5:13 ESV / 149 helpful votes

Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time.

Proverbs 20:19 ESV / 136 helpful votes

Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a simple babbler.

Psalm 141:3-4 ESV / 128 helpful votes

Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity, and let me not eat of their delicacies!

Ephesians 4:29 ESV / 112 helpful votes

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Proverbs 29:11 ESV / 110 helpful votes

A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.

Psalm 1:1-6 ESV / 109 helpful votes

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; ...

Matthew 5:37 ESV / 106 helpful votes

Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.

Psalm 19:14 ESV / 105 helpful votes

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Ecclesiastes 5:1-3 ESV / 102 helpful votes

Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words.

Ecclesiastes 5:6 ESV / 87 helpful votes

Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands?

Proverbs 26:4 ESV / 78 helpful votes

Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.

Psalm 147:1-20 ESV / 60 helpful votes

Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting. The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. ...

Isaiah 58:13-14 ESV / 58 helpful votes

“If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

James 1:26 ESV / 55 helpful votes

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.

Psalm 39:3 ESV / 55 helpful votes

My heart became hot within me. As I mused, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue:

Romans 3:13-14 ESV / 54 helpful votes

“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”

John 10:10 ESV / 54 helpful votes

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

James 3:2 ESV / 52 helpful votes

For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.

Amos 5:12-13 ESV / 49 helpful votes

For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate. Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time.

Proverbs 3:5 ESV / 49 helpful votes

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

Proverbs 6:2 ESV / 46 helpful votes

If you are snared in the words of your mouth, caught in the words of your mouth,

James 3:10 ESV / 42 helpful votes

From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.

Proverbs 12:23 ESV / 42 helpful votes

A prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims folly.

James 4:5-11 ESV / 40 helpful votes

Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. ...

Matthew 12:36-37 ESV / 37 helpful votes

I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Romans 12:12 ESV / 35 helpful votes

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Ecclesiastes 5:3 ESV / 35 helpful votes

For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words.

Proverbs 18:8 ESV / 33 helpful votes

The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.

Ephesians 5:18 ESV / 31 helpful votes

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,

Proverbs 15:2 ESV / 31 helpful votes

The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.

1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV / 29 helpful votes

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Proverbs 11:13 ESV / 28 helpful votes

Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.

James 3:5 ESV / 27 helpful votes

So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!

Luke 6:45 ESV / 27 helpful votes

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Matthew 6:7 ESV / 26 helpful votes

“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.

Proverbs 20:1 ESV / 26 helpful votes

Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.

Psalm 34:13 ESV / 25 helpful votes

Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.

1 John 1:9 ESV / 24 helpful votes

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Luke 12:3 ESV / 24 helpful votes

Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.

Proverbs 10:14 ESV / 24 helpful votes

The wise lay up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.

Revelation 1:1 ESV / 23 helpful votes

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,

1 Peter 5:7 ESV / 22 helpful votes

Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

James 3:8 ESV / 22 helpful votes

But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

Philippians 4:6 ESV / 22 helpful votes

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Romans 7:7-25 ESV / 22 helpful votes

What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. ...

Proverbs 23:9 ESV / 22 helpful votes

Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the good sense of your words.

James 4:13-16 ESV / 21 helpful votes

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

Proverbs 23:4-5 ESV / 21 helpful votes

Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven.

Proverbs 10:8 ESV / 21 helpful votes

The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin.

Exodus 23:12 ESV / 21 helpful votes

“Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed.

James 3:5-6 ESV / 20 helpful votes

So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.

1 Thessalonians 4:11 ESV / 20 helpful votes

And to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you,

Romans 13:8 ESV / 20 helpful votes

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Luke 1:37 ESV / 20 helpful votes

For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Matthew 11:28 ESV / 20 helpful votes

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Proverbs 26:20 ESV / 20 helpful votes

For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.

Proverbs 15:27 ESV / 20 helpful votes

Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household, but he who hates bribes will live.

Psalm 127:4 ESV / 20 helpful votes

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth.

Philippians 4:13 ESV / 19 helpful votes

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Matthew 6:1-34 ESV / 19 helpful votes

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ...

Proverbs 15:4 ESV / 19 helpful votes

A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

Psalm 37:21 ESV / 19 helpful votes

The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives;

James 3:9-10 ESV / 17 helpful votes

With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.

Hebrews 4:13 ESV / 17 helpful votes

And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Colossians 3:23 ESV / 17 helpful votes

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

Proverbs 15:1 ESV / 17 helpful votes

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

James 3:11-12 ESV / 16 helpful votes

Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

Philippians 4:17 ESV / 16 helpful votes

Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.

Philippians 4:11-13 ESV / 16 helpful votes

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Romans 8:28 ESV / 16 helpful votes

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Proverbs 27:12 ESV / 16 helpful votes

The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.

Proverbs 6:24 ESV / 16 helpful votes

To preserve you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.

James 3:7 ESV / 15 helpful votes

For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind,

Romans 8:26 ESV / 15 helpful votes

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

John 3:16-17 ESV / 14 helpful votes

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Proverbs 25:16 ESV / 14 helpful votes

If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.

James 4:6 ESV / 13 helpful votes

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Philippians 4:6-7 ESV / 13 helpful votes

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV / 13 helpful votes

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

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