Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe {be} to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hear {your} lies?

Why do ye not understand my speech? {even} because ye cannot hear my word.

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}

And the LORD said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd.

The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: {but} Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.

For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart. {frowardly: Heb. turning away}

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 without {are} dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

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;

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.

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}

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}

These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling {words}, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.

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

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

Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause.

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.

Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; {given...: or, ready to quarrel, and offer wrong, as one in wine}

And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.

But thine eyes and thine heart {are} not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do {it}. {violence: or, incursion}

Whose end {is} destruction, whose God {is their} belly, and {whose} glory {is} in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this {is} also vanity.

Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded {in my} habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?

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

Now the sons of Eli {were} sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD.

In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have {it} more abundantly.

They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; {and} their hearts, that they cannot understand. {shut: Heb. daubed}

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}

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. {laid...: Heb. made the iniquity of us all to meet on him}

For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart. {frowardly: Heb. turning away}

For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's.

They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity. {set...: Heb. lift up their soul to}

This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.

And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.

And the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.

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}

Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there:

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.

For a certain {man} named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen;

He hoped also that money should have been given him of Paul, that he might loose him: wherefore he sent for him the oftener, and communed with him.

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

And he struck {it} into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither.

Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded {in my} habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?

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.

Let them wander up and down for meat, and grudge if they be not satisfied. {for meat: Heb. to eat} {and grudge...: or, if they be not satisfied, then they will stay all night}

The horseleach hath two daughters, {crying}, Give, give. There are three {things that} are never satisfied, {yea}, four {things} say not, {It is} enough: {It is...: Heb. Wealth}

Thus shall they be unto thee with whom thou hast laboured, {even} thy merchants, from thy youth: they shall wander every one to his quarter; none shall save thee.

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.

{There is} a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof.

Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: {but} ye feed not the flock.

I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery: for themselves are separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots: therefore the people {that} doth not understand shall fall. {I will not: or, Shall I not} {fall: or, be punished}

Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:

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 the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.

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

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}

Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?

Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; {given...: or, ready to quarrel, and offer wrong, as one in wine}

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.