For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, {but} gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

Likewise {must} the deacons {be} grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;

But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble {in} judgment.

From whence {come} wars and fightings among you? {come they} not hence, {even} of your lusts that war in your members? {fightings: or, brawlings} {lusts: or, pleasures}

And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and {so} that day come upon you unawares.

{Let your} conversation {be} without covetousness; {and be} content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: {it shall be} a statute for ever throughout your generations:

The aged women likewise, that {they be} in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; {holiness: or, holy women} {false...: or, one who foments strife}

And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom {his} lord shall make ruler over his household, to give {them their} portion of meat in due season?

Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight {thereof}, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; {which...: or, as much as in you is}

And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.

Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?

Therefore will I give their wives unto others, {and} their fields to them that shall inherit {them}: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.

And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, {saying}, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people. {walking...: or, walk with the wind, and lie falsely}

But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all {men}. {exhort: or, beseech} {unruly: or, disorderly}

Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.

The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, {Is} not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us. {and say: Heb. saying}

Better {is} the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: {and} the patient in spirit {is} better than the proud in spirit.

Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

Yea, {they are} greedy dogs {which} can never have enough, and they {are} shepherds {that} cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. {greedy: Heb. strong of appetite} {can...: Heb. know not to be satisfied}

Also before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw.

Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty {is} a fading flower, which {are} on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine! {overcome: Heb. broken}

And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all {men}, apt to teach, patient, {patient: or, forbearing}

Who {is there} even among you that would shut the doors {for nought}? neither do ye kindle {fire} on mine altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith the LORD of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand.

He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live.

Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, {that} they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, {till} wine inflame them! {inflame: of, pursue}

And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,

For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one {is} given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.

I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel.

I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:

Neither shall any priest drink wine, when they enter into the inner court.

And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: {adultery: Gr. an adulteress}

So {are} the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; {which} taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, {as} the LORD liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him.

For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

Thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him.

For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. {erred: or, been seduced}

{Let your} conversation {be} without covetousness; {and be} content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. {erred: or, been seduced}

To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, {but} gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: {it shall be} a statute for ever throughout your generations:

Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. {Perverse...: or, Gallings one of another}

But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

Likewise {must} the deacons {be} grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;

Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight {thereof}, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; {which...: or, as much as in you is}

And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.

Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.

Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place {such} over them, {to be} rulers of thousands, {and} rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:

So {are} the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; {which} taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

Yea, {they are} greedy dogs {which} can never have enough, and they {are} shepherds {that} cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. {greedy: Heb. strong of appetite} {can...: Heb. know not to be satisfied}

The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, {Is} not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us. {and say: Heb. saying}

But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all {men}. {exhort: or, beseech} {unruly: or, disorderly}

Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.

For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God {is} witness:

And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he pronounced this prophecy against me: for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest.

But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord GOD:

In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord GOD.

For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one {is} given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.

For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.

And said {unto them}, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.

But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;