448 verses about gossip

Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.

The young lady ran, and told her mother’s house about these words.

He heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s. He has obtained all this wealth from that which was our father’s.”

This is the history of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. Joseph brought an evil report of them to their father.

They said to one another, “Behold, this dreamer comes.

Judah said, “Let her keep it, lest we be shamed. Behold, I sent this young goat, and you haven’t found her.”

When his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, “This is what your servant did to me,” his wrath was kindled.

The whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness;

and in the morning, then you shall see Yahweh’s glory; because he hears your murmurings against Yahweh. Who are we, that you murmur against us?”

“You shall not spread a false report. Don’t join your hand with the wicked to be a malicious witness.

“‘You shall not go up and down as a slanderer among your people. “‘You shall not endanger the life of your neighbor. I am Yahweh.

The priest shall set the woman before Yahweh, and let the hair of the woman’s head go loose, and put the meal offering of memorial in her hands, which is the meal offering of jealousy. The priest shall have in his hand the water of bitterness that brings a curse.

Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married; for he had married a Cushite woman.

They said, “Has Yahweh indeed spoken only with Moses? Hasn’t he spoken also with us?” And Yahweh heard it.

The cloud departed from over the Tent; and behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow. Aaron looked at Miriam, and behold, she was leprous.

Yahweh said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, shouldn’t she be ashamed seven days? Let her be shut up outside of the camp seven days, and after that she shall be brought in again.”

They brought up an evil report of the land which they had spied out to the children of Israel, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that eats up its inhabitants; and all the people who we saw in it are men of great stature.

“How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, that murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.

The men, whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up an evil report against the land,

even those men who brought up an evil report of the land, died by the plague before Yahweh.

accuses her of shameful things, and gives her a bad name, and says, “I took this woman, and when I came near to her, I didn’t find in her the tokens of virginity”;

Behold, he has accused her of shameful things, saying, ‘I didn’t find in your daughter the tokens of virginity;’ and yet these are the tokens of my daughter’s virginity.” They shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city.

He sent messengers to Abimelech craftily, saying, “Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem; and behold, they incite the city against you.

Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim. The men of Gilead struck Ephraim, because they said, “You are fugitives of Ephraim, you Gileadites, in the middle of Ephraim, and in the middle of Manasseh.”

Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Get rid of your wine!”

“Don’t keep talking so exceedingly proudly. Don’t let arrogance come out of your mouth, For Yahweh is a God of knowledge. By him actions are weighed.

Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons did to all Israel, and how that they slept with the women who served at the door of the Tent of Meeting.

He said to them, “Why do you do such things? for I hear of your evil dealings from all this people.

No, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear! You make Yahweh’s people disobey.

Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning; and Samuel was told, saying, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself, and turned, and passed on, and went down to Gilgal.”

He turned away from him toward another, and spoke like that again; and the people answered him again the same way.

The women sang to one another as they played, and said, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.”

The servants of Saul told him, saying, “David spoke like this.”

The servants of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David the king of the land? Didn’t they sing to one another about him in dances, saying, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?’”

Saul heard that David was discovered, with the men who were with him. Now Saul was sitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk tree in Ramah, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing around him.

Then Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, answered and said, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.

Abiathar told David that Saul had slain Yahweh’s priests.

David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of all the persons of your father’s house.

Then the Ziphites came up to Saul to Gibeah, saying, “Doesn’t David hide himself with us in the strongholds in the woods, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of the desert?

When Saul had returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of En Gedi.”

David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to men’s words, saying, ‘Behold, David seeks to harm you?’

But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to Greet our master; and he insulted them.

Please don’t let my lord pay attention to this worthless fellow, Nabal; for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him; but I, your servant, didn’t see my lord’s young men, whom you sent.

The Ziphites came to Saul to Gibeah, saying, “Doesn’t David hide himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before the desert?”

Isn’t this David, of whom people sang to one another in dances, saying, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?’”

Don’t tell it in Gath. Don’t publish it in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.

When Joab and all the army who was with him had come, they told Joab, “Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has sent him away, and he has gone in peace.”

But the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think that David honors your father, in that he has sent comforters to you? Hasn’t David sent his servants to you to search the city, to spy it out, and to overthrow it?”

David sent and inquired after the woman. One said, “Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, Uriah the Hittite’s wife?”

While they were on the way, the news came to David, saying, “Absalom has slain all the king’s sons, and there is not one of them left!”

Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, answered, “Don’t let my lord suppose that they have killed all the young men the king’s sons; for Amnon only is dead; for by the appointment of Absalom this has been determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar.

Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he was offering the sacrifices. The conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom.

The king said, “Where is your master’s son?” Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is staying in Jerusalem; for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will restore me the kingdom of my father.’”

The watchman cried, and told the king. The king said, “If he is alone, there is news in his mouth.” He came closer and closer.

The watchman saw another man running; and the watchman called to the gatekeeper, and said, “Behold, a man running alone!” The king said, “He also brings news.”

He has slandered your servant to my lord the king, but my lord the king is as an angel of God. Do therefore what is good in your eyes.

David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.

Then Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, “Haven’t you heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith reigns, and David our lord doesn’t know it?

Now, behold, Adonijah reigns; and you, my lord the king, don’t know it.

Nathan said, “My lord, king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne?’

While he yet spoke, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came; and Adonijah said, “Come in; for you are a worthy man, and bring good news.”

Now an old prophet lived in Bethel, and one of his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told their father the words which he had spoken to the king.

Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.

So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and to the nobles who were in his city, who lived with Naboth.

She wrote in the letters, saying, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.

Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned, and is dead.”

He called the gatekeepers; and they told it to the king’s household within.

When Jehu came out to the servants of his lord, and one said to him, “Is all well? Why did this mad fellow come to you?” He said to them, “You know the man and how he talks.”

Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, came with Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him Rabshakeh’s words.

But the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun, “Do you think that David honors your father, in that he has sent comforters to you? Haven’t his servants come to you to search, to overthrow, and to spy out the land?”

Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, “What they are building, if a fox climbed up it, he would break down their stone wall.”

in which was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Gashmu says it, that you and the Jews intend to rebel. Because of that, you are building the wall. You would be their king, according to these words.

You have also appointed prophets to proclaim of you at Jerusalem, saying, ‘There is a king in Judah!’ Now it will be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together.”

He hired so that I would be afraid, do so, and sin, and that they might have material for an evil report, that they might reproach me.

Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them.

Also they spoke of his good deeds before me, and reported my words to him. Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.

For this deed of the queen will become known to all women, causing them to show contempt for their husbands, when it is reported, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she didn’t come.’

Today, the princesses of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen’s deed will tell all the king’s princes. This will cause much contempt and wrath.

When the king’s decree which he shall make is published throughout all his kingdom (for it is great), all the wives will give their husbands honor, both great and small.”

Now it came to pass, when they spoke daily to him, and he didn’t listen to them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai’s reason would stand; for he had told them that he was a Jew.

Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom, and their laws are different than other people’s. They don’t keep the king’s laws. Therefore it is not for the king’s profit to allow them to remain.

Haman also said, “Yes, Esther the queen let no man come in with the king to the banquet that she had prepared but myself; and tomorrow I am also invited by her together with the king.

Then Zeresh his wife and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows be made fifty cubits high, and in the morning speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on it. Then go in merrily with the king to the banquet.” This pleased Haman, so he had the gallows made.

Haman recounted to Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and Zeresh his wife said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish descent, you will not prevail against him, but you will surely fall before him.”

You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, neither shall you be afraid of destruction when it comes.

“How long will you speak these things? Shall the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?

“Shouldn’t the multitude of words be answered? Should a man full of talk be justified?

Should your boastings make men hold their peace? When you mock, shall no man make you ashamed?

“Should a wise man answer with vain knowledge, and fill himself with the east wind?

Should he reason with unprofitable talk, or with speeches with which he can do no good?

Even young children despise me. If I arise, they speak against me.

“Now I have become their song. Yes, I am a byword to them.

because I feared the great multitude, and the contempt of families terrified me, so that I kept silence, and didn’t go out of the door—

His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and oppression. Under his tongue is mischief and iniquity.

Everyone lies to his neighbor. They speak with flattering lips, and with a double heart.

May Yahweh cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that boasts,

who have said, “With our tongue we will prevail. Our lips are our own. Who is lord over us?”

He who doesn’t slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his friend, nor casts slurs against his fellow man;

For I have heard the slander of many, terror on every side, while they conspire together against me, they plot to take away my life.

Let the lying lips be mute, which speak against the righteous insolently, with pride and contempt.