For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

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}

Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. {guilty...: or, subject to the judgment of God}

A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;

But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.

Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. {as...: or, in teaching}

The righteous shall see {it}, and rejoice: and all iniquity shall stop her mouth.

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 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;

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.

As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia. {no man...: Gr. this boasting shall not be stopped in me}

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.

His watchmen {are} blind: they are all ignorant, they {are} all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. {sleeping: or, dreaming, or, talking in their sleep}

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?

And after that they durst not ask him any {question at all}.

That thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord GOD.

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 woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in {yourselves}, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

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.

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}

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}

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.

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 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.

Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. {as...: or, in teaching}

For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

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

And the tongue {is} a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. {course: Gr. wheel}

And withal they learn {to be} idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.

For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ. {corrupt: or, deal deceitfully with} {in Christ: or, of Christ}

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}

{As} the partridge sitteth {on eggs}, and hatcheth {them} not; {so} he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool. {sitteth...: or, gathereth young which she hath not brought forth}

For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.

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.

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

But shun profane {and} vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.

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}

Shall vain words have an end? or what emboldeneth thee that thou answerest? {vain...: Heb. words of wind}

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.

And shall begin to smite {his} fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

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

Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.

Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.

Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.

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}

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

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

The getting of treasures by a lying tongue {is} a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death.