Proverbs 26:23

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

‘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.

Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to judge me according to the law, and command me to be struck contrary to the law?”

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;

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.

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

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

“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.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like hidden graves, and the men who walk over them don’t know it.”

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.”

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

They plot injustice, saying, “We have made a perfect plan!” Surely man’s mind and heart are cunning.

for as he thinks about the cost, so he is. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

Some of those who are wise will fall, to refine them, and to purify, and to make them white, even to the time of the end; because it is yet for the time appointed.

For the vision is yet for the appointed time, and it hurries toward the end, and won’t prove false. Though it takes time, wait for it; because it will surely come. It won’t delay.

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

Yahweh saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart was continually only evil.

Why do you boast of mischief, mighty man? God’s loving kindness endures continually.

The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold, but Yahweh tests the hearts.

Therefore Yahweh’s word will be to them precept on precept, precept on precept; line on line, line on line; here a little, there a little; that they may go, fall backward, be broken, be snared, and be taken.

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.

“Everyone beware of his neighbor, and don’t trust in any brother; for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will go around like a slanderer.

You have planted them. Yes, they have taken root. They grow. Yes, they produce fruit. You are near in their mouth, and far from their heart.

For I have heard the defaming of many, “Terror on every side! Denounce, and we will denounce him!” say all my familiar friends, those who watch for my fall. “Perhaps he will be persuaded, and we will prevail against him, and we will take our revenge on him.”

But your eyes and your heart are only for your covetousness, for shedding innocent blood, for oppression, and for doing violence.”

In the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, the Lord Yahweh’s hand fell on me there.

“Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me. All of them are bronze, tin, iron, and lead in the middle of the furnace. They are the dross of silver.

He said, “Behold, I will make you know what will be in the latter time of the indignation; for it belongs to the appointed time of the end.

“At the time of the end the king of the south will contend with him; and the king of the north will come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, with horsemen, and with many ships. He will enter into the countries, and will overflow and pass through.

The Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but your inward part is full of extortion and wickedness.

But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, but you bypass justice and God’s love. You ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone.

He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts. For that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

A certain ruler asked him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was very rich.

Jesus answered them, “Most certainly I tell you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves, and were filled.

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is good.

To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.

My little children, let’s not love in word only, or with the tongue only, but in deed and truth.

“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

“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.”

“Whoever in the open field touches one who is slain with a sword, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.

Balaam said to Balak, “Build here seven altars for me, and prepare here seven bulls and seven rams for me.”

But the word is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.

Delilah said to Samson, “Behold, you have mocked me, and told me lies. Now please tell me how you might be bound.”

But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No; but we will have a king over us,

Saul was even more afraid of David; and Saul was David’s enemy continually.

Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before Yahweh; and his name was Doeg the Edomite, the best of the herdsmen who belonged to Saul.

When Abner was returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the middle of the gate to speak with him quietly, and struck him there in the body, so that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.

Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us.” The king said to him, “Why should he go with you?”

But he went in, and stood before his master. Elisha said to him, “Where did you come from, Gehazi?” He said, “Your servant went nowhere.”

But Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. Then the king sent a man from before him; but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, “Do you see how this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head? Behold, when the messenger comes, shut the door, and hold the door shut against him. Isn’t the sound of his master’s feet behind him?”

He said, “Come with me, and see my zeal for Yahweh.” So they made him ride in his chariot.

He did that which was evil, because he didn’t set his heart to seek Yahweh.

He did that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes, but not with a perfect heart.

Now because we eat the salt of the palace, and it is not appropriate for us to see the king’s dishonor, therefore we have sent and informed the king,

Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come! Let’s meet together in the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to harm me.

For there is no faithfulness in their mouth. Their heart is destruction. Their throat is an open tomb. They flatter with their tongue.

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

You sit and speak against your brother. You slander your own mother’s son.

His mouth was smooth as butter, but his heart was war. His words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.

No, in your heart you plot injustice. You measure out the violence of your hands in the earth.

Surely men of low degree are just a breath, and men of high degree are a lie. In the balances they will go up. They are together lighter than a breath.

I will silence whoever secretly slanders his neighbor. I won’t tolerate one who is arrogant and conceited.

He who hides hatred has lying lips. He who utters a slander is a fool.

Deceit is in the heart of those who plot evil, but joy comes to the promoters of peace.

There are many plans in a man’s heart, but Yahweh’s counsel will prevail.

Take away the dross from the silver, and material comes out for the refiner;

There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes, yet are not washed from their filthiness.

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.

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

then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered,’ that you may do all these abominations?

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,

For you have dealt deceitfully against your own souls; for you sent me to Yahweh your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to Yahweh our God; and according to all that Yahweh our God says, so declare to us, and we will do it.’

“As for the word that you have spoken to us in Yahweh’s name, we will not listen to you.

Mischief will come on mischief, and rumor will be on rumor. They will seek a vision of the prophet; but the law will perish from the priest, and counsel from the elders.

Then some of the elders of Israel came to me, and sat before me.

“Say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Will it prosper? Won’t he pull up its roots, and cut off its fruit, that it may wither; that all its fresh springing leaves may wither? It can’t be raised from its roots by a strong arm or many people.

Slanderous men have been in you to shed blood. In you they have eaten on the mountains. They have committed lewdness among you.

Her princes within it are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, that they may get dishonest gain.

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.

In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, even a great warfare. He understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision.

As for both these kings, their hearts will be to do mischief, and they will speak lies at one table; but it won’t prosper, for the end will still be at the appointed time.

“He will return at the appointed time, and come into the south; but it won’t be in the latter time as it was in the former.

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t serve both God and Mammon.

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves.

But when the young man heard the saying, he went away sad, for he was one who had great possessions.

“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.

When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said to her, “Don’t cry.”

But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are these who hear the word of God, and do it.”

He said to them, “It isn’t for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set within his own authority.

because he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained; of which he has given assurance to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead.”

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander be put away from you, with all malice.

Know this for sure, that no sexually immoral person, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God.

But concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need that anything be written to you.

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

that the proof of your faith, which is more precious than gold that perishes even though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ—