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.

Thy princes {are} rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.

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.

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

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

Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, {are} these.

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}

For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; The LORD of hosts {is} his name.

That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge {asketh} for a reward; and the great {man}, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up. {his...: Heb. the mischief of his soul}

And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the LORD, Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.

Behold, here I {am}: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received {any} bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you. {bribe: Heb. ransom} {to blind...: or, that I should hide mine eyes at him}

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

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.

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

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}

And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies. {fetch: Heb. take unto us}

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}

All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.

Their drink is sour: they have committed whoredom continually: her rulers {with} shame do love, Give ye. {sour: Heb. gone} {rulers: Heb. shields}

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}

And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to {our} father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,

Her princes within her {are} roaring lions; her judges {are} evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow.

Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.

Her princes in the midst thereof {are} like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, {and} to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain.

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.

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.

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

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}

Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.

They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you. {imagination: or, stubbornness}

That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge {asketh} for a reward; and the great {man}, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up. {his...: Heb. the mischief of his soul}

Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.

Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,

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?

Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, {are} these.

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

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}

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

Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.

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

For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; The LORD of hosts {is} his name.

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.

Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place. {assured...: Heb. peace of truth}

Behold, I {am} against thee, O inhabitant of the valley, {and} rock of the plain, saith the LORD; which say, Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations? {inhabitant: Heb. inhabitress}

Now for a long season Israel {hath been} without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.

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.

I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah. {an...: or, filthiness}

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.

Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed {difference} between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. {violated: Heb. offered violence to}

Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we {are} many; the land is given us for inheritance.

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.

Who {is} this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee forth: there she brought thee forth {that} bare thee.

Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me. {teachers: Heb. interpreters}

And the LORD said unto me, A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD.

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?

Their drink is sour: they have committed whoredom continually: her rulers {with} shame do love, Give ye. {sour: Heb. gone} {rulers: Heb. shields}

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}

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

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}

Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.

Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the LORD; {that prophesy out...: Heb. that are prophets out of their own hearts}

If a man or woman have a plague upon the head or the beard;

But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.

Therefore will I do unto {this} house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.

For when they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it; and, lo, thus have they done in the midst of mine house.

Therefore the king of Israel gathered together of prophets four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall we go to Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for God will deliver {it} into the king's hand.

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

If I go forth into the field, then behold the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, then behold them that are sick with famine! yea, both the prophet and the priest go about into a land that they know not. {go about...: or, make merchandise against a land, and men acknowledge it not}

This {is} thy lot, the portion of thy measures from me, saith the LORD; because thou hast forgotten me, and trusted in falsehood.

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.

For the sins of her prophets, {and} the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her,

They have belied the LORD, and said, {It is} not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine:

And Saul said, Blessed {be} ye of the LORD; for ye have compassion on me.

Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee.

All their wickedness {is} in Gilgal: for there I hated them: for the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of mine house, I will love them no more: all their princes {are} revolters.

For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate {from their right}. {a bribe: or, a ransom}

I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the LORD, {and} the judgment of their God: but these have altogether broken the yoke, {and} burst the bonds.

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 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 the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.

The just LORD {is} in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame. {every...: Heb. morning by morning}

In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me: for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty because of my holy mountain. {because...: Heb. in my holy}

A wicked {man} taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment.

The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men {are}, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

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, 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 called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not? {Massah: that is, Temptation} {Meribah: that is, Chiding, or, Strife}

The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love {to have it} so: and what will ye do in the end thereof? {bear...: or, take into their hands}

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}

Thus saith the LORD; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.

And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron: and he said, Thus saith the LORD, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou have consumed them.

Thy princes {are} rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.