Luke 16:14

They profess that they know God, but by their deeds they deny him, being abominable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work.

Then Pashhur struck Jeremiah the prophet and put him in the stocks that were in the upper gate of Benjamin, which was in Yahweh’s house.

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

for both prophet and priest are profane. Yes, in my house I have found their wickedness,” says Yahweh.

‘These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

He answered them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, unforgiving, unmerciful;

Let not many of you be teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive heavier judgment.

These are murmurers and complainers, walking after their lusts—and their mouth speaks proud things—showing respect of persons to gain advantage.

Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were bound, and he was there in custody.

that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his ordinances, which he commanded our fathers.

Yahweh is near to all those who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

The Lord said, “Because this people draws near with their mouth and honors me with their lips, but they have removed their heart far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men which has been taught;

Yahweh, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, says to him whom man despises, to him whom the nation abhors, to a servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and rise up, princes, and they shall worship, because of Yahweh who is faithful, even the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

Yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise him. He has caused him to suffer. When you make his soul an offering for sin, he will see his offspring. He will prolong his days and Yahweh’s pleasure will prosper in his hand.

What was sown among the thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of this age and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

Woe to you lawyers! For you took away the key of knowledge. You didn’t enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in, you hindered.”

Be free from the love of money, content with such things as you have, for he has said, “I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you.”

You will betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her. You will build a house, and you won’t dwell in it. You will plant a vineyard, and not use its fruit.

My foot has held fast to his steps. I have kept his way, and not turned away.

then let my wife grind for another, and let others sleep with her.

For the wicked boasts of his heart’s cravings. He blesses the greedy and condemns Yahweh.

But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people.

Our heart has not turned back, neither have our steps strayed from your path,

But they flattered him with their mouth, and lied to him with their tongue.

He who despises his neighbor sins, but he who has pity on the poor is blessed.

All we like sheep have gone astray. Everyone has turned to his own way; and Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

I was angry because of the iniquity of his covetousness and struck him. I hid myself and was angry; and he went on backsliding in the way of his heart.

Their houses will be turned to others, their fields and their wives together; for I will stretch out my hand on the inhabitants of the land, says Yahweh.”

Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, came near,

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitened tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.

For whoever will be ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed, when he comes in his glory, and the glory of the Father, and of the holy angels.

The people stood watching. The rulers with them also scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others. Let him save himself, if this is the Christ of God, his chosen one!”

For they all seek their own, not the things of Jesus Christ.

Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are on the earth.

Their wives in the same way must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, and faithful in all things.

I can count all of my bones. They look and stare at me.

Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me.

I have set my heart to perform your statutes forever, even to the end.

Many are my persecutors and my adversaries. I haven’t swerved from your testimonies.

Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scoffing of those who are at ease, with the contempt of the proud.

Don’t incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice deeds of wickedness with men who work iniquity. Don’t let me eat of their delicacies.

How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! Yes, to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

He who loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase: this also is vanity.

“Behold, my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights: I have put my Spirit on him. He will bring justice to the nations.

It is because of the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, That have shed the blood of the just in the middle of her.

You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to kill the souls who should not die, and to save the souls alive who should not live, by your lying to my people who listen to lies.’

Woe to those who devise iniquity and work evil on their beds! When the morning is light, they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand.

Her leaders judge for bribes, and her priests teach for a price, and her prophets of it tell fortunes for money: yet they lean on Yahweh, and say, “Isn’t Yahweh among us? No disaster will come on us.”

Woe to the worthless shepherd who leaves the flock! The sword will be on his arm, and on his right eye. His arm will be completely withered, and his right eye will be totally blinded!”

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and decorate the tombs of the righteous,

those who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”

He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here, and watch.”

But he said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it.”

The ones who had been sent were from the Pharisees.

Saul was consenting to his death. A great persecution arose against the assembly which was in Jerusalem in that day. They were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles.

Because knowing God, they didn’t glorify him as God, and didn’t give thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened.

backbiters, hateful to God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

But these, as unreasoning creatures, born natural animals to be taken and destroyed, speaking evil in matters about which they are ignorant, will in their destroying surely be destroyed,

Moreover you shall provide out of all the people able men which fear God: men of truth, hating unjust gain; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

Our fathers didn’t understand your wonders in Egypt. They didn’t remember the multitude of your loving kindnesses, but were rebellious at the sea, even at the Red Sea.

Turn my heart toward your statutes, not toward selfish gain.

but you have ignored all my counsel, and wanted none of my reproof;

For the ruthless is brought to nothing, and the scoffer ceases, and all those who are alert to do evil are cut off—

If I go out into the field, then, behold, the slain with the sword! If I enter into the city, then, behold, those who are sick with famine! For both the prophet and the priest go about in the land, and have no knowledge.’ ”

who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers: these will receive greater condemnation.”

Charge those who are rich in this present world that they not be arrogant, nor have their hope set on the uncertainty of riches, but on the living God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy;

without natural affection, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, not lovers of good,

having eyes full of adultery, and who can’t cease from sin; enticing unsettled souls; having a heart trained in greed; children of cursing;

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

“ ‘These are they which are unclean to you among the creeping things that creep on the earth: the weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard,

So the couriers passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, even to Zebulun, but people ridiculed them and mocked them.

but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until Yahweh’s wrath arose against his people, until there was no remedy.

I am like one who is a joke to his neighbor, I, who called on God, and he answered. The just, the blameless man is a joke.

All those who see me mock me. They insult me with their lips. They shake their heads, saying,

because they rebelled against the words of God, and condemned the counsel of the Most High.

The arrogant mock me excessively, but I don’t swerve from your law.

Have mercy on us, Yahweh, have mercy on us, for we have endured much contempt.

One who despises his neighbor is void of wisdom, but a man of understanding holds his peace.

He who walks in his uprightness fears Yahweh, but he who is perverse in his ways despises him.

Don’t speak in the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering and acquainted with disease. He was despised as one from whom men hide their face; and we didn’t respect him.

Yes, the dogs are greedy. They can never have enough. They are shepherds who can’t understand. They have all turned to their own way, each one to his gain, from every quarter.

“For from their least even to their greatest, everyone is given to covetousness. From the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely.

Therefore I will give their wives to others and their fields to those who will possess them. For everyone from the least even to the greatest is given to covetousness; from the prophet even to the priest everyone deals falsely.

Yahweh, you have persuaded me, and I was persuaded. You are stronger than I, and have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day. Everyone mocks me.

They come to you as the people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear your words, but don’t do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goes after their gain.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and as a pretense you make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

They ridiculed him. But he, having put them all out, took the father of the child, her mother, and those who were with him, and went in where the child was lying.

Pharisees came to him testing him, and asked him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”

The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus answered again, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter into God’s Kingdom!

They were ridiculing him, knowing that she was dead.

He said to them, “Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man’s life doesn’t consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses.”

This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil.

‘Behold, you scoffers, and wonder, and perish; for I work a work in your days, a work which you will in no way believe, if one declares it to you.’ ”

But sexual immorality, and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be mentioned among you, as becomes saints;

For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

Others were tried by mocking and scourging, yes, moreover by bonds and imprisonment.

For consider him who has endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, that you don’t grow weary, fainting in your souls.