I Am Only Joking

Like a madman shooting firebrands and deadly arrows,

…so is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I was only joking!”

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.

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one another.

These are the things you must do: Speak truth to one another, render true and sound judgments in your gates,

A perverse man spreads dissension, and a gossip divides close friends.

Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

The words of a gossip are like choice morsels that go down into the inmost being.