Ephesians 4:29
27 Neither give place to the devil.
28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.
- KJV
- Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
- WEB
- Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good for building others up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear.
- ASV
- Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but such as is good for edifying as the need may be, that it may give grace to them that hear.
- DARBY
- Let no corrupt word go out of your mouth, but if [there be] any good one for needful edification, that it may give grace to those that hear [it].
- BLB
- Do not let any rotten word go forth out of your⁺ mouth, but if any [is] good for edification of the need, so that it may give grace to those hearing.
- ÅB
- Ingen råtten tale gå ut av deres munn, men slik tale som er god til nødvendig oppbyggelse, så den kan være til gagn for dem som hører på;
- OTB
- La ingen usunn tale komme ut av deres munn, men bare det som er nyttig for å bygge andre opp etter deres behov, så det kan gagne dem som lytter.
- B1930
- Ingen råtten tale gå ut av eders munn, men sådan tale som er god til nødvendig opbyggelse, så den kan være til gagn for dem som hører på;
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Colossians 4:6
Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
Read in context1 Thessalonians 5:11
Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
Read in contextEcclesiastes 10:12
The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.
Read in contextProverbs 15:7
The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish doeth not so.
Read in contextColossians 3:8–9
But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
Read in contextMatthew 12:34–37
O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
Read in contextProverbs 25:11–12
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.
Read in contextPsalms 37:30–31
The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.
Read in context