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heresy
/ heretic / false / falsely / falsehood / those who reject truth /
error / stray / astray / apostasy related
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Note:
Scripture herein combines various related topics, including
heresy, apostasy, falsehood, and straying. Although these topics are
combined herein, the reader is reminded that there is a
distinction between straying from the path of righteousness (e.g.
sinning) and straying from the path of truth (e.g. heretics).
Also note that Scripture contained herein is but a small sampling
of applicable passages in the Bible referring to persons straying
from God's path. |
About that time Abimelech, accompanied by Phicol,
the commander of his army, said to Abraham: "God is with you
in everything you do. Therefore, swear to me by God at this place
that you will not deal falsely with me or with my progeny and
posterity, but will act as loyally toward me and the land in which
you stay as I have acted toward you." To this Abraham
replied, "I so swear." [GEN 21:22-24]
Moses answered, "As soon as I leave your presence I will
pray to the LORD that the flies may depart tomorrow from Pharaoh
and his servants and his subjects. Pharaoh, however, must not play
false again by refusing to let the people go to offer sacrifice to
the LORD." When Moses left Pharaoh's presence, he prayed to
the LORD; and the LORD did as Moses had asked. He removed the
flies from Pharaoh and his servants and subjects. Not one
remained. But once more Pharaoh became obdurate and would not let
the people go. [EX 8:25-28]
"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor."
[EX 20:16]
"You shall not repeat a false report. Do not join the
wicked in putting your hand, as an unjust witness, upon anyone.
Neither shall you allege the example of the many as an excuse for
doing wrong, nor shall you, when testifying in a lawsuit, side
with the many in perverting justice." [EX 23:1-2]
The LORD said to Moses, "If someone commits a sin of
dishonesty against the LORD by denying his neighbor a deposit or a
pledge for a stolen article, or by otherwise retaining his
neighbor's goods unjustly, or if, having found a lost article, he
denies the fact and swears falsely about it with any of the sinful
oaths that men make in such cases, he shall therefore, since he
has incurred guilt by his sin, restore the thing that was stolen
or unjustly retained by him or the deposit left with him or the
lost article he found or whatever else he swore falsely about; on
the day of his guilt offering he shall make full restitution of
the thing itself, and in addition, give the owner one fifth of its
value." [Taken from LEV 5:20-24]
"You shall not steal. You shall not lie or speak falsely
to one another." [LEV 19:11]
"You shall not swear falsely by my name, thus profaning the name
of your God. I am the LORD." [LEV 19:12]
"Do not make false gods for yourselves. You shall not
erect an idol or a sacred pillar for yourselves, nor shall you set
up a stone figure for worship in your land; for I, the LORD, am
your God." [LEV 26:1]
The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the Israelites and tell
them that they and their descendants must put tassels on the
corners of their garments, fastening each corner tassel with a
violet cord. When you use these tassels, let the sight of them
remind you to keep all the commandments of the LORD, without going
wantonly astray after the desires of your hearts and eyes. Thus
you will remember to keep all my commandments and be holy to your
God. I, the LORD, am your God who, as God, brought you out of
Egypt that I, the LORD, may be your God." [NUM 15:37-41]
God is not man that he should speak falsely, nor human, that he
should change his mind. Is he one to speak and not act, to decree
and not fulfill? [NUM 23:19]
But that prophet or that dreamer shall [suffer the prescribed
punishment],
because, in order to lead you astray from the way which the LORD,
your God, has directed you to take, he has preached apostasy from
the LORD, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and
ransomed you from that place of slavery. Thus shall you purge the
evil from your midst. [Taken from DEUT 13:6] [Note: Under Mosaic
law, the capital punishment was applied in such cases.]
You shall [apply the prescribed punishment], because he sought
to lead you astray from the LORD, your God, who brought you out of
the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. And all Israel, hearing
of it, shall fear and never again do such evil as this in your
midst. "If, in any of the cities which the LORD, your God,
gives you to dwell in, you hear it said that certain scoundrels
have sprung up among you and have led astray the inhabitants of
their city to serve other gods whom you have not known, you must
inquire carefully into the matter and investigate it thoroughly. If you find that it is true and an established fact that this
abomination has been committed in your midst, you shall [apply the
prescribed remedy to the entire city]." [Taken from DEUT 13:11-16] [Note: Under Mosaic law, the
capital punishment was applied in such cases.]
"One witness alone shall not take the stand against a man
in regard to any crime or any offense of which he may be guilty; a
judicial fact shall be established only on the testimony of two or
three witnesses. If an unjust witness takes the stand
against a man to accuse him of a defection from the law, the two
parties in the dispute shall appear before the LORD in the
presence of the priests or judges in office at that time; and if
after a thorough investigation the judges find that the witness is
a false witness and has accused his kinsman falsely, you shall do
to him as he planned to do to his kinsman. Thus shall you purge
the evil from your midst. The rest, on hearing of it, shall fear,
and never again do a thing so evil among you." [DEUT 19:15-20]
"You shall not see your kinsman's ox or sheep driven
astray without showing concern about it; see to it that it is
returned to your kinsman." [Taken from DEUT 22:1]
If, however, you turn away your hearts and will not listen, but are led astray and adore and serve other gods, I tell you now that you will certainly perish; you will not have a long life on the land which you are crossing the Jordan to enter and occupy.
[DEUT 30:17-18]
Therefore strive hard to observe and carry out all that is
written in the book of the law of Moses, not straying from it in
any way, or mingling with these nations while they survive among
you. You must not invoke their gods, or swear by them, or serve
them, or worship them, but you must remain loyal to the LORD, your
God, as you have been to this day. [JOSH 23:6-8]
Because they had thus abandoned him and served Baal and the
Ashtaroth, the anger of the LORD flared up against Israel, and he
delivered them over to plunderers who despoiled them. He allowed
them to fall into the power of their enemies round about whom they
were no longer able to withstand. Whatever they undertook, the
LORD turned into disaster for them, as in his warning he had sworn
he would do, till they were in great distress. Even when the LORD
raised up judges to deliver them from the power of their
despoilers, they did not listen to their judges, but abandoned
themselves to the worship of other gods. They were quick to stray
from the way their fathers had taken, and did not follow their
example of obedience to the commandments of the LORD. Whenever the
LORD raised up judges for them, he would be with the judge and
save them from the power of their enemies as long as the judge
lived; it was thus the LORD took pity on their distressful cries
of affliction under their oppressors. But when the judge died,
they would relapse and do worse than their fathers, following
other gods in service and worship, relinquishing none of their
evil practices or stubborn conduct. [JUDG 2:13-19]
"All the articles which King Ahaz during his reign had thrown
away because of his apostasy, we have restored and consecrated, and they are now before the LORD'S altar." [Taken from 2CHRON 29:19]
When these matters had been concluded, the leaders approached
me with this report: "Neither the Israelite laymen nor the
priests nor the Levites have kept themselves aloof from the
peoples of the land and their abominations (Canaanites, Hittites,
Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and
Amorites); for they have taken some of their daughters as wives
for themselves and their sons, and thus they have desecrated the
holy race with the peoples of the land. Furthermore, the leaders
and rulers have taken a leading part in this apostasy!" When
I had heard this thing, I tore my cloak and my mantle, plucked
hair from my head and beard, and sat there stupefied. Around me
gathered all who were in dread of the sentence of the God of
Israel on this apostasy of the exiles, while I remained motionless
[Taken from EZRA 9:1-4]
Tobit died peacefully at the age of a hundred and twelve, and
received an honorable burial in Nineveh. He was sixty-two years
old when he lost his eyesight, and after he recovered it he lived
in prosperity, giving alms and continually blessing God and
praising the divine Majesty. Just before he died, he called his
son Tobiah and Tobiah's seven sons, and gave him this command:
"Son, take your children and flee into Media, for I believe
God's word which was spoken by Nahum against Nineveh. It shall all
happen, and shall overtake Assyria and Nineveh; indeed, whatever
was said by Israel's prophets, whom God commissioned, shall occur.
Not one of all the oracles shall remain unfulfilled, but
everything shall take place in the time appointed for it. So it
will be safer in Media than in Assyria or Babylon. For I know and
believe that whatever God has spoken will be accomplished. It
shall happen, and not a single word of the prophecies shall prove
false. As for our kinsmen who dwell in Israel, they shall
all be scattered and led away into exile from the Good Land. The
entire country of Israel shall become desolate; even Samaria and
Jerusalem shall become desolate! God's temple there shall be burnt
to the ground and shall be desolate for a while. But God will
again have mercy on them and bring them back to the land of
Israel. They shall rebuild the temple, but it will not be like the
first one, until the era when the appointed times shall be
completed. Afterward all of them shall return from their exile,
and they shall rebuild Jerusalem with splendor. In her the temple
of God shall also be rebuilt; yes, it will be rebuilt for all
generations to come, just as the prophets of Israel said of her.
All the nations of the world shall be converted and shall offer
God true worship; all shall abandon their idols which have
deceitfully led them into error, and shall bless the God of the
ages in righteousness. Because all the Israelites who are to be
saved in those days will truly be mindful of God, they shall be
gathered together and go to Jerusalem; in security shall they
dwell forever in the land of Abraham, which will be given over to
them. Those who sincerely love God shall rejoice, but those who
become guilty of sin shall completely disappear from the land." [TOBIT
14:1-7]
"If you still cherish the hope that they will not be taken, then
there is no need for you to be downcast. I have spoken, and my
words shall not prove false in any respect." [Taken from JDTH 6:9]
"But now we have sinned in your sight, and you have delivered us
into the hands of our enemies, because we worshiped their gods.
You are just, O Lord. But now they are not satisfied with our
bitter servitude, but have undertaken to do away with the decree
you have pronounced, and to destroy your heritage; to close the
mouths of those who praise you, and to extinguish the glory of
your temple and your altar; to open the mouths of the heathen to
acclaim their false gods, and to extol an earthly king forever. O Lord, do not relinquish your scepter to those that are
nought. Let them not gloat over our ruin, but turn their own
counsel against them and make an example of our chief enemy." [Taken from ESTH
C:17-22]
The officers of the king in charge of enforcing the apostasy
came to the city of Modein [Taken from 1MACC
2:15]
The Simon mentioned above as the informer about the funds against his own country, made false accusation that it was Onias who threatened Heliodorus and instigated the whole miserable affair.
He dared to brand as a plotter against the government the man who was a benefactor of the city, a protector of his compatriots, and a zealous defender of the laws.
[2MACC 4:1-2]
But when a false rumor circulated that Antiochus was dead,
Jason gathered fully a thousand men and suddenly attacked the
city. As the defenders on the walls were forced back and the city
was finally being taken, Menelaus took refuge in the citadel.
[2MACC 5:5]
Is there insincerity on my tongue, or cannot my taste discern
falsehood? [JOB 6:30]
You are glossing over falsehoods and offering vain
remedies, every one of you! Oh, that you would be altogether
silent! This for you would be wisdom. Hear now the rebuke I
shall utter and listen to the reproof from my lips. Is it for
God that you speak falsehood? Is it for him that you utter
deceit? Is it for him that you show partiality? Do you play
advocate on behalf of God? Will it be well when he shall search
you out? Would you impose on him as one does on men? He will
openly rebuke you if even in secret you show partiality.
Surely will his majesty affright you and the dread of him
fall upon you. [JOB 13:4-11]
So long as I still have life in me and the breath of God is in my nostrils,
My lips shall not speak falsehood, nor my tongue utter deceit! [JOB
27:3-4]
If I have walked in falsehood and my foot has hastened to
deceit; If my steps have turned out of the way, and my heart
has followed my eyes, or any stain clings to my hands, Then
may I sow, but another eat of it, or may my planting be
rooted up! [JOB 31:5-8]
Happy those who do not follow the counsel of the
wicked, Nor go the way of sinners, nor sit in company with
scoffers. [PS 1:1]
You are not a god who delights in evil; no wicked
person finds refuge with you; the arrogant cannot stand before
you. You hate all who do evil; you destroy all who speak
falsely. Murderers and deceivers the LORD abhors. [PS 5:5-7]
The LORD looks down from heaven upon the human
race, To see if even one is wise, if even one seeks God.
All have gone astray; all alike are perverse. Not one
does what is right, not even one. [PS 14:2-3]
Worthless are all the false gods of the land. Accursed are all
who delight in them. [PS 16:3]
Who may go up the mountain of the LORD? Who can stand in
his holy place? "The clean of hand and pure of
heart, who are not devoted to idols, who have not sworn
falsely. They will receive blessings from the LORD, and
justice from their saving God." [Taken from PS 24:3-5]
Sin directs the heart of the wicked; their eyes are closed
to the fear of God. For they live with the delusion: their
guilt will not be known and hated. Empty and false are the words
of their mouth; they have ceased to be wise and do good. In
their beds they hatch plots; they set out on a wicked
way; they do not reject evil. [PS 36:2-5]
Those whose steps are guided by the LORD; whose way God approves, May stumble, but they will never fall, for the LORD holds their hand.
[PS 37:23-24]
Happy those whose trust is the LORD, who turn not to
idolatry or to those who stray after falsehood. [PS 40:5]
Our hearts have not turned back, nor have our steps strayed
from your path. [PS 44:19]
God looks down from heaven upon the human race, To
see if even one is wise, if even one seeks God. All have gone
astray; all alike are perverse. Not one does what is
right, not even one. [PS 53:3-4]
The wicked have been corrupt since birth; liars from the
womb, they have gone astray. [PS 58:4]
But they tested, rebelled against God Most High, his
decrees they did not observe. They turned back, deceitful like
their ancestors; they proved false like a bow with no
tension. They enraged him with their high places; with their
idols they goaded him. [PS 78:56-58]
"I will not violate my covenant; the promise of my lips I
will not alter. By my holiness I swore once for all: I will
never be false to David. His dynasty will continue
forever, his throne, like the sun before me. Like the moon it
will stand eternal, forever firm like the sky!" [PS 89:35-38]
Forty years I loathed that generation; I said: "This
people's heart goes astray; they do not know my ways."
Therefore I swore in my anger: "They shall never enter
my rest." [PS 95:10-11]
No one who practices deceit can hold a post in my court. No one
who speaks falsely can be among my advisors. [PS 101:7]
With all my heart I seek you; do not let me stray from your
commands. [PS 119:10]
With a curse you rebuke the proud who stray from your commands.
[PS 119:21]
Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I hold to your
promise. [PS 119:67]
Through your precepts I gain insight; therefore I hate all
false ways. [PS 119:104]
The wicked have set snares for me, but from your precepts I do
not stray. [PS 119:110]
You reject all who stray from your laws, for vain is their
deceit. [PS 119:118]
Falsehood I hate and abhor; your teaching I love. [PS 119:163]
My son, to my wisdom be attentive, to my knowledge incline
your ear, That discretion may watch over you, and
understanding may guard you. The lips of an adulteress drip with
honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil; But in the end she
is as bitter as wormwood, as sharp as a two-edged sword. Her
feet go down to death, to the nether world her steps attain;
Lest you see before you the road to life, her paths will
ramble, you know not where. So now, O children, listen to
me, go not astray from the words of my mouth. Keep your way
far from her, approach not the door of her house, Lest you
give your honor to others, and your years to a merciless one;
Lest strangers have their fill of your wealth, your hard-won
earnings go to an alien's house; And you groan in the
end, when your flesh and your body are consumed; And you say,
"Oh, why did I hate instruction, and my heart spurn
reproof! Why did I not listen to the voice of my
teachers, nor to my instructors incline my ear! I have all
but come to utter ruin, condemned by the public
assembly!" Drink water from your own cistern, running
water from your own well. How may your water sources be dispersed
abroad, streams of water in the streets? Let your fountain be
yours alone, not one shared with strangers; And have joy of
the wife of your youth, your lovely hind, your graceful
doe. Her love will invigorate you always, through her
love you will flourish continually, When you lie down she will
watch over you, and when you wake, she will share your
concerns; wherever you turn, she will guide you. Why then, my
son, should you go astray for another's wife and accept the
embraces of an adulteress? For each man's ways are plain to the
LORD'S sight; all their paths he surveys; By his own
iniquities the wicked man will be caught, in the meshes of
his own sin he will be held fast; He will die from lack of
discipline, through the greatness of his folly he will be
lost. [PROV 5:1-23]
There are six things the LORD hates, yes, seven are an
abomination to him; Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands
that shed innocent blood; A heart that plots wicked
schemes, feet that run swiftly to evil, The false witness who
utters lies, and he who sows discord among brothers. [PROV
6:16-19]
So now, O children, listen to me, be attentive to the
words of my mouth! Let not your heart turn to her ways, go
not astray in her paths; For many are those she has struck down
dead, numerous, those she has slain. Her house is made up of
ways to the nether world, leading down into the chambers of
death. [PROV 7:24-27]
A path to life is his who heeds admonition, but he who disregards reproof goes astray. [PROV 10:17]
False scales are an abomination to the LORD, but a full weight
is his delight. [PROV 11:1]
The just man surpasses his neighbor, but the way of the wicked
leads them astray. [PROV 12:26]
A truthful witness does not lie, but a false witness utters
lies. [PROV 14:5]
Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those intent on good
gain kindness and constancy. [PROV 14:22]
Severe punishment is in store for the man who goes astray; he
who hates reproof will die. [PROV 15:10]
The king's lips are an oracle; no judgment he pronounces is
false. [PROV 16:10]
The evil man gives heed to wicked lips, and listens to
falsehood from a mischievous tongue. [PROV 17:4]
The false witness will not go unpunished, and he who utters
lies will not escape. [PROV 19:5]
The false witness will not go unpunished, and he who utters
lies will perish. [PROV 19:9]
Wine is arrogant, strong drink is riotous; none who goes astray
for it is wise. [PROV 20:1]
Varying weights are an abomination to the LORD, and false
scales are not good. [PROV 20:23]
The man who strays from the way of good sense will abide in the
assembly of the shades. [PROV 21:16]
The false witness will perish, but he who listens will finally
have his say. [PROV 21:28]
Like a club, or a sword, or a sharp arrow, is the man who bears
false witness against his neighbor. [PROV 25:18]
Two things I ask of you, deny them not to me before I die:
Put falsehood and lying far from me, give me neither poverty
nor riches; (provide me only with the food I need;) Lest,
being full, I deny you, saying, "Who is the
LORD?" Or, being in want, I steal, and profane the
name of my God. [PROV 30:7-9]
We, then, have strayed from the way of truth, and the
light of justice did not shine for us, and the sun did not
rise for us. We had our fill of the ways of mischief and of
ruin; we journeyed through impassable deserts, but the
way of the LORD we knew not. What did our pride avail
us? What have wealth and its boastfulness afforded us? All of
them passed like a shadow and like a fleeting rumor; Like a
ship traversing the heaving water, of which, when it has
passed, no trace can be found, no path of its keel in the
waves. [WISDOM 5:6-10]
But Wisdom delivered from tribulations those who served her.
She, when the just man fled from his brother's anger, guided
him in direct ways, Showed him the kingdom of God and
gave him knowledge of holy things; She prospered him in his
labors and made abundant the fruit of his works, Stood by him
against the greed of his defrauders, and enriched him; She
preserved him from foes, and secured him against
ambush, And she gave him the prize for his stern
struggle that he might know that devotion to God is
mightier than all else. She did not abandon the just man when he
was sold, but delivered him from sin. She went down with him
into the dungeon, and did not desert him in his
bonds, Until she brought him the scepter of royalty and
authority over his oppressors, Showed those who had defamed
him false, and gave him eternal glory. [WISDOM 10:9-14]
Hence those unjust also, who lived a life of folly, you tormented through their own abominations. For they went far astray in the paths of
error... [Taken from WISDOM 12:23-24]
For from the greatness and the beauty of created
things their original author, by analogy, is seen. But yet,
for these the blame is less; For they indeed have gone astray
perhaps, though they seek God and wish to find him. For they
search busily among his works, but are distracted by what
they see, because the things seen are fair. But again, not
even these are pardonable. For if they so far succeeded in
knowledge that they could speculate about the world, how
did they not more quickly find its LORD? [WISDOM 13:5-9]
For the worship of infamous idols is the reason and source
and extremity of all evil. For they either go mad with enjoyment,
or prophesy lies, or live lawlessly or lightly forswear
themselves. For as their trust is in soulless idols, they
expect no harm when they have sworn falsely. But on both counts
shall justice overtake them: because they thought ill of God
and devoted themselves to idols, and because they
deliberately swore false oaths, despising piety. For not the
might of those that are sworn by but the retribution of
sinners ever follows upon the transgression of the wicked. [WISDOM
14:27-31]
Trust God and he will help you; make straight your ways and
hope in him. You who fear the LORD, wait for his mercy, turn not
away lest you fall. [SIRACH 2:6-7]
Their own opinion has misled many, and false reasoning
unbalanced their judgment. [SIRACH 3:23]
Error and darkness were formed with sinners from their birth,
and evil grows old with evildoers. [SIRACH 11:16]
Say not: "It was God's doing that I fell
away"; for what he hates he does not do. Say not:
"It was he who set me astray"; for he has no need
of wicked man. Abominable wickedness the LORD hates, he does
not let it befall those who fear him. [SIRACH 15:11-13]
Wine and women make the mind giddy, and the companion of harlots becomes reckless.
He who lightly trusts in them has no sense, and he who strays after them sins against his own life. [SIRACH
19:2,4]
There are three things at which my heart quakes, a fourth
before which I quail: Though false charges in public, trial
before all the people, and lying testimony are harder to bear
than death, A jealous wife is heartache and mourning and a
scourging tongue like the other three. [SIRACH 26:5-6]
A good man goes surety for his neighbor, and only the shameless
would play him false; Forget not the kindness of your
backer, for he offers his very life for you. [SIRACH 29:14-15]
The lover of gold will not be free from sin, for he who pursues
wealth is led astray by it. [SIRACH 31:5]
Empty and false are the hopes of the senseless, and fools
are borne aloft by dreams. Like a man who catches at shadows or
chases the wind, is the one who believes in dreams. What is
seen in dreams is to reality what the reflection of a face is
to the face itself. Can the unclean produce the clean? can
the liar ever speak the truth? Divination, omens and dreams all
are unreal; what you already expect, the mind depicts. Unless
it be a vision specially sent by the Most High, fix not your
heart on it; For dreams have led many astray, and those who
believed in them have perished. [SIRACH 34:1-7]
A false friend will share your joys, but in time of trouble he
stands afar off. [SIRACH 37:4]
Speak not to a woman about her rival, nor to a coward
about war, to a merchant about business, to a buyer
about value, to a miser about generosity, to a cruel man
about mercy, to a lazy man about work, to a seasonal
laborer about the harvest, to an idle slave about a great
task: pay no attention to any advice they give. Instead,
associate with a religious man, who you are sure keeps the
commandments; Who is like-minded with yourself and will
feel for you if you fall. [SIRACH 37:11-12]
Before father and mother be ashamed of immorality, before
master and mistress, of falsehood [Taken from SIRACH 41:15]
I give you thanks, O God of my father; I praise you, O God
my savior! I will make known your name, refuge of my life;
you have been my helper against my adversaries. You have
saved me from death, and kept back my body from the
pit, From the clutches of the nether world you have snatched
my feet; you have delivered me, in your great mercy From
the scourge of a slanderous tongue, and from lips that went
over to falsehood; From the snare of those who watched for my
downfall, and from the power of those who sought my
life; From many a danger you have saved me [Taken from SIRACH
51:1-3]
Ah! sinful nation, people laden with wickedness, evil race,
corrupt children! They have forsaken the LORD, spurned the Holy
One of Israel, apostatized. Where would you yet be struck, you
that rebel again and again? The whole head is sick, the whole
heart faint. From the sole of the foot to the head there is no sound spot: Wound and welt and gaping gash, not drained, or
bandaged, or eased with salve. [ISA 1:4-6]
Aram on the east and the Philistines on the west devour
Israel with open mouth. For all this, his wrath is not turned
back, and his hand is still outstretched! The people do not
turn to him who struck them, nor seek the LORD of hosts. So
the LORD severs from Israel head and tail, palm branch and
reed in one day. (The elder and the noble are the head, the
prophet who teaches falsehood is the tail.) The leaders of this
people mislead them and those to be led are engulfed. For
this reason, the Lord does not spare their young men, and
their orphans and widows he does not pity; They are wholly
profaned and sinful, and every mouth gives vent to
folly. For all this, his wrath is not turned back, his
hand is still outstretched! [ISA 19:11-16]
But these also stagger from wine and stumble from strong
drink: Priest and prophet stagger from strong
drink, overpowered by wine; Led astray by strong
drink, staggering in their visions, tottering when
giving judgment. Yes, all the tables are covered with filthy
vomit, with no place left clean. [ISA 28:7-8]
Therefore, hear the word of the LORD, you arrogant, who
rule this people in Jerusalem: Because you say, "We have made
a covenant with death, and with the nether world we have made
a pact; When the overwhelming scourge passes, it will
not reach us; For we have made lies our refuge, and in
falsehood we have found a hiding place," - Therefore, thus
says the Lord GOD: See, I am laying a stone in Zion, a
stone that has been tested, A precious cornerstone as a sure
foundation; he who puts his faith in it shall not be shaken.
I will make of right a measuring line, of justice a level. - Hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and
waters shall flood the hiding place. Your covenant with death
shall be canceled and your pact with the nether world shall
not stand. When the overwhelming scourge passes, you
shall be trampled down by it. Whenever it passes, it shall take
you; morning after morning it shall pass, By day and by
night; terror alone shall convey the message. [ISA 28:14-19]
See the name of the LORD coming from afar in burning
wrath, with lowering clouds! His lips are filled with
fury, his tongue is like a consuming fire; His breath, like a
flood in a ravine that reaches suddenly to the
neck, Will winnow the nations with a destructive
winnowing, and with repeated winnowings will he battle
against them (and a bridle on the jaws of the peoples to send
them astray). The LORD will make his glorious voice
heard, and let it be seen how his arm descends In raging
fury and flame of consuming fire, in driving storm and hail.
When the LORD speaks, Assyria will be shattered, as he
strikes with the rod; While at every sweep of the rod which
the LORD will bring down on him in punishment
[Taken from ISA 30:27-28,30-32]
A highway will be there, called the holy way; No one unclean
may pass over it, nor fools go astray on it. [ISA 35:8]
Because you felt secure in your wickedness, and said,
"No one sees me." Your wisdom and your
knowledge led you astray, And you said to
yourself, "I, and no one else!" But upon you shall
come evil you will not know how to predict; Disaster
shall befall you which you cannot allay. Suddenly there
shall come upon you ruin which you will not expect. [ISA
47:10-11]
But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our
sins, Upon him was the chastisement that makes us
whole, by his stripes we were healed. We had all gone astray
like sheep, each following his own way; But the LORD
laid upon him the guilt of us all. [Taken from ISA 53:5-6]
Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away, and who would
have thought any more of his destiny? When he was cut off
from the land of the living, and smitten for the sin of his
people, A grave was assigned him among the wicked and a
burial place with evildoers, Though he had done no
wrong nor spoken any falsehood. [Taken from ISA 53:8-9]
No weapon fashioned against you shall prevail; every tongue you
shall prove false that launches an accusation against you. This is
the lot of the servants of the LORD, their vindication from me,
says the LORD. [ISA 54:17]
Of whom were you afraid? Whom did you fear, that you became
false And did not remember me or give me any thought? Was I to
remain silent and unseeing, so that you would not have me to fear?
[ISA 57:11]
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer, you shall
cry for help, and he will say: Here I am! If you remove from
your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech;
If you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the
afflicted; Then light shall rise for you in the
darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday;
Then the LORD will guide you always and give you plenty even
on the parched land. He will renew your strength, and
you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring whose water
never fails. [Taken from ISA 58:9-11]
Lo, the hand of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his
ear too dull to hear. Rather, it is your crimes that separate
you from your God, It is your sins that make him hide his
face so that he will not hear you. For your hands are stained
with blood, your fingers with guilt; Your lips speak
falsehood, and your tongue utters deceit.
[ISA 59:1-3]
We all growl like bears, like doves we moan without
ceasing. We look for right, but it is not there; for
salvation, and it is far from us. For our offenses before you are
many, our sins bear witness against us. Yes, our
offenses are present to us, and our crimes we know:
Transgressing, and denying the LORD, turning back from
following our God, Threatening outrage, and
apostasy, uttering words of falsehood the heart has
conceived. Right is repelled, and justice stands far
off; For truth stumbles in the public
square, uprightness cannot enter. Honesty is
lacking, and the man who turns from evil is
despoiled. The LORD saw this, and was aggrieved that
right did not exist. He saw that there was no one, and was
appalled that there was none to intervene; So his own arm
brought about the victory, and his justice lent him its
support. [Taken from ISA 59:11-16]
If you wish to return, O Israel, says the LORD, return to
me. If you put your detestable things out of my
sight, and do not stray, Then you can swear, "As the
LORD lives," in truth, in judgment, and in
justice; Then shall the nations use his name in
blessing, and glory in him. [JER 4:1-2]
Roam the streets of Jerusalem, look about and
observe, Search through her public places, to find even
one Who lives uprightly and seeks to be
faithful, and I will pardon her! Though they say, "As
the LORD lives," they swear falsely. O LORD, do your
eyes not look for honesty? You struck them, but they did not
cringe; you laid them low, but they refused
correction; They set their faces harder than stone, and
refused to return to you. [JER 5:1-3]
A shocking, horrible thing has happened in the land: The
prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests teach as they
wish; Yet my people will have it so; what will you do
when the end comes?
[JER 5:30-31]
Tell them: Thus says the LORD: When someone falls, does he
not rise again? if he goes astray, does he not turn back? Why
do these people rebel with obstinate resistance? Why do
they cling to deceptive idols, refuse to turn back? I listen
closely: they speak what is not true; No one repents of
his wickedness, saying, "What have I
done!" Everyone keeps on running his course, like a
steed dashing into battle. Even the stork in the air knows it
seasons; Turtledove, swallow and thrush observe their
time of return, But my people do not know the ordinance
of the LORD. How can you say, "We are wise, we have the
law of the LORD"? Why, that has been changed into
falsehood by the lying pen of the scribes! [JER 8:4-8]
Among Samaria's prophets I saw unseemly deeds: They prophesied
by Baal and led my people Israel astray. [JER 23:13]
Yes, I am against the prophets who prophesy lying dreams, says
the LORD, and who lead my people astray by recounting their lies
and by their empty boasting. From me they have no mission or
command, and they do this people no good at all, says the LORD. [JER
23:32]
Do not listen to the words of those prophets who say, "You
need not serve the king of Babylon," for they prophesy lies
to you. I did not send them, says the LORD, but they prophesy
falsely in my name, with the result that I must banish you, and
you will perish, you and the prophets who are prophesying to you. [JER
27:14-15]
To the prophet Hananiah the prophet Jeremiah said: Hear this,
Hananiah! The LORD has not sent you, and you have raised false
confidence in this people. For this, says the LORD, I will
dispatch you from the face of the earth; this very year you shall
die, because you have preached rebellion against the LORD. That
same year, in the seventh month, Hananiah the prophet died. [JER
28:15-17]
When the priest Zephaniah read this letter to the prophet, the
word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: Send the message to all the
exiles: Thus says the LORD concerning Shemaiah, the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah prophesies to you without a mission from me, and
raises false confidence, says the LORD, I will therefore punish
Shemaiah, the Nehelamite, and his offspring. None of them shall
survive among this people to see the good I will do to this
people, says the LORD, because he preached rebellion against the
LORD.
[JER 29:29-32]
Set up road markers, put up guideposts; Turn your
attention to the highway, the road by which you
went. Turn back, O virgin Israel, turn back to these
your cities. How long will you continue to stray, rebellious
daughter? The LORD has created a new thing upon the
earth: the woman must encompass the man with devotion. [JER
31:21-22]
To what can I liken or compare you, O daughter
Jerusalem? What example can I show you for your
comfort, virgin daughter Zion? For great as the sea is
your downfall; who can heal you? Your prophets had for
you false and specious visions; They did not lay bare
your guilt, to avert your fate; They beheld for you in
vision false and misleading portents. All who pass
by clap their hands at you; They hiss and wag their
heads over daughter Jerusalem: "Is this the
all-beautiful city, the joy of the whole earth?" [LAM
2:13-15]
He deranged my ways, set me astray, left me desolate. [LAM
3:11]
"Fear not, my children; call out to God! He who brought
this upon you will remember you. As your hearts have been disposed
to stray from God, turn now ten times the more to seek him;
For he who has brought disaster upon you will, in saving you,
bring you back enduring joy." [BARUCH 4:27-29]
There shall no longer be any false visions or deceitful
divinations within the house of Israel, because it is I, the LORD,
who will speak. [EZEK 12:24]
Thus the word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, prophesy
against the prophets of Israel, prophesy! Say to those who
prophesy their own thought: Hear the word of the LORD: You did not
step into the breach, nor did you build a wall about the house of
Israel that would stand firm against attack on the day of the
LORD. Was not the vision you saw false, and your divination lying?
Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have spoken
falsehood and have seen lying visions, therefore see! I am coming
at you, says the Lord GOD. For the very reason that they led my
people astray, saying, "Peace!" when there was no peace,
and that, as one built a wall, they would cover it with whitewash,
say then to the whitewashers: I will bring down a flooding rain;
hailstones shall fall, and a stormwind shall break out. And when
the wall has fallen, will you not be asked: Where is the whitewash
you spread on? Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: In my fury I will
let loose stormwinds; because of my anger there shall be a
flooding rain, and hailstones shall fall with destructive wrath. I
will tear down the wall that you have whitewashed and level it to
the ground, laying bare its foundations. When it falls, you shall
be crushed beneath it; thus you shall know that I am the LORD.
When I have spent my fury on the wall and its whitewashers, I tell
you there shall be no wall, nor shall there be whitewashers - those prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw for
it visions of peace when there was no peace, says the Lord GOD. [EZEK
13:1-16]
Therefore say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord GOD:
Return and be converted from your idols; turn yourselves away from
all your abominations. For if anyone of the house of Israel or any
alien resident in Israel is estranged from me, and holds the
memory of his idols in his heart and keeps the occasion of his sin
before him, yet asks a prophet to consult me for him, I, the LORD,
will be his answer in person. I will turn against that man, and
make of him an example and a byword. I will cut him off from the
midst of my people. Thus you shall know that I am the LORD. As for
the prophet, if he is beguiled into speaking a word, I, the LORD, shall have beguiled that prophet; I will stretch out my hand
against him and root him out of my people Israel. Each shall
receive punishment for his sin, the inquirer and the prophet shall
be punished alike, so that the house of Israel may no longer stray
from me and may no longer be defiled by all their sins. Thus they
shall be my people, and I will be their God, says the Lord GOD. [EZEK
14:6-11]
As for you, son of man, prophesy: Thus says the Lord GOD
against the Ammonites and their insults: A sword, a sword is drawn
for slaughter, burnished to consume and to flash lightning,
because you planned with false visions and lying divinations to
lay it on the necks of depraved and wicked men whose day has come
when their crimes are at an end. Return it to its sheath! In the
place where you were created, in the land of your origin, I will
judge you. I will pour out my indignation upon you, breathing my
fiery wrath upon you, I will hand you over to ravaging men,
artisans of destruction. You shall be fuel for the fire, your
blood shall flow throughout the land. You shall not be remembered,
for I, the LORD, have spoken. [EZEK 21:33-37]
You did not strengthen the weak nor heal the sick nor bind up
the injured. You did not bring back the strayed nor seek the lost,
but you lorded it over them harshly and brutally. [Taken from EZEK 34:4]
Tell them: Thus speaks the Lord GOD: I will take the Israelites
from among the nations to which they have come, and gather them
from all sides to bring them back to their land. I will make them
one nation upon the land, in the mountains of Israel, and there
shall be one prince for them all. Never again shall they be two
nations, and never again shall they be divided into two kingdoms.
No longer shall they defile themselves with their idols, their
abominations, and all their transgressions. I will deliver them
from all their sins of apostasy, and cleanse them so that they may
be my people and I may be their God. My servant David shall be
prince over them, and there shall be one shepherd for them all;
they shall live by my statutes and carefully observe my decrees.
They shall live on the land which I gave to my servant Jacob, the
land where their fathers lived; they shall live on it forever,
they, and their children, and their children's children, with my
servant David their prince forever. I will make with them a
covenant of peace; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them,
and I will multiply them, and put my sanctuary among them forever.
My dwelling shall be with them; I will be their God, and they
shall be my people. Thus the nations shall know that it is I, the
LORD, who make Israel holy, when my sanctuary shall be set up
among them forever. [EZEK 37:21-28]
But as for the Levites who departed from me when Israel strayed
from me to pursue their idols, they shall bear the consequences of
their sin. [EZEK 44:10]
The consecrated priests, the Zadokites, who fulfilled my service and did not stray along with the Israelites as the Levites did, shall have within this tract of land their own most sacred domain, next to the territory of the Levites.
[EZEK 48:11-12]
But the king replied: "I know for certain that you are bargaining for time, since you know what I have decided. If you do not tell me the dream, there can be but one decree for you. You have framed a false and deceitful interpretation to present me with till the crisis is past. Tell me the dream, therefore, that I may be sure that you can also give its correct interpretation."
[Taken from DAN 2:8-9]
Because all Israel transgressed your law and went astray, not heeding your voice, the sworn malediction, recorded in the law of Moses, the servant of God, was poured out over us for our sins.
You carried out the threats you spoke against us and against those who governed us, by bringing upon us in Jerusalem the greatest calamity that has ever occurred under heaven.
[DAN 9:11-12]
"The two kings, resolved on evil, shall sit at table together
and exchange lies, but they shall have no success, because the
appointed end is not yet. He shall turn back toward his land
with great riches, his mind set against the holy covenant; he
shall arrange matters and return to his land. At the time
appointed he shall come again to the south, but this time it shall
not be as before. When ships of the Kittim confront him, he shall
lose heart and retreat. Then he shall direct his rage and energy
against the holy covenant; those who forsake it he shall once more
single out. Armed forces shall move at his command and defile the
sanctuary stronghold, abolishing the daily sacrifice and setting
up the horrible abomination. By his deceit he shall make some who
were disloyal to the covenant apostatize; but those who remain
loyal to their God shall take strong action. The nation's wise men
shall instruct the many; though for a time they will become
victims of the sword, of flames, exile, and plunder. When they
fall, few people shall help them, but many shall join them out of
treachery. Of the wise men, some shall fall, so that the rest may
be tested, refined, and purified, until the end time which is
still appointed to come." [Taken from DAN 11:27-35]
"As for you, Daniel, keep secret the message and seal the
book until the end time; many shall fall away and evil shall
increase." I, Daniel, looked and saw two others, one standing
on either bank of the river. One of them said to the man clothed
in linen, who was upstream, "How long shall it be to the end
of these appalling things?" The man clothed in linen, who was
upstream, lifted his right and left hands to heaven; and I heard
him swear by him who lives forever that it should be for a year,
two years, a half-year; and that, when the power of the destroyer
of the holy people was brought to an end, all these things should
end. I heard, but I did not understand; so I asked, "My lord,
what follows this?" "Go, Daniel," he said,
"because the words are to be kept secret and sealed until the
end time. Many shall be refined, purified, and tested, but the
wicked shall prove wicked; none of them shall have understanding,
but the wise shall have it. From the time that the daily sacrifice
is abolished and the horrible abomination is set up, there shall
be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is the man
who has patience and perseveres until the one thousand three
hundred and thirty-five days. Go, take your rest, you shall rise
for your reward at the end of days." [DAN 12:4-13]
Hear the word of the LORD, O people of Israel, for the
LORD has a grievance against the inhabitants of the
land: There is no fidelity, no mercy, no knowledge of
God in the land. False swearing, lying, murder, stealing and
adultery! in their lawlessness, bloodshed follows bloodshed.
[Taken from HOSEA 4:1-2]
They consult their piece of wood, and their wand makes
pronouncements for them, For the spirit of harlotry has led them
astray; they commit harlotry, forsaking their God. [HOSEA 4:12]
When I would bring about the restoration of my
people, when I would heal Israel, The guilt of Ephraim
stands out, the wickedness of Samaria; They practice
falsehood, thieves break in, bandits plunder abroad. Yet they
do not remind themselves that I remember all their
wickedness. Even now their crimes surround them, present
to my sight. [HOSEA 7:1-2]
Woe to them, they have strayed from me! Ruin to them, they
have sinned against me! Though I wished to redeem
them, they spoke lies against me. They have not cried to me
from their hearts when they wailed upon their beds; For
wheat and wine they lacerated themselves, while they rebelled
against me. [HOSEA 7:13-14]
Israel is a luxuriant vine whose fruit matches its
growth. The more abundant his fruit, the more altars he
built; The more productive his land, the more sacred
pillars he set up. Their heart is false, now they pay for
their guilt; God shall break down their altars and
destroy their sacred pillars. If they would say, "We
have no king" - Since they do not fear the
LORD, what can the king do for them? Nothing but make
promises, swear false oaths, and make alliances, While
justice grows wild like wormwood in a plowed field! [HOSEA
10:1-4]
But you have cultivated wickedness, reaped perversity, and
eaten the fruit of falsehood. [Taken from HOSEA 10:13]
Ephraim chases the wind, ever pursuing the gale. His lies and
falsehoods are many: he comes to terms with Assyria, and carries
oil to Egypt. [HOSEA 12:2]
Thus says the LORD: For three crimes of Judah, and for
four, I will not revoke my word; Because they spurned
the law of the LORD, and did not keep his
statutes; Because the lies which their fathers
followed have led them astray, I will send fire upon
Judah, to devour the castles of Jerusalem. [AMOS 2:4-5]
Thus says the LORD regarding the prophets who lead my
people astray; Who, when their teeth have something to
bite, announce peace, But when one fails to put
something in their mouth, proclaim war against him. Therefore
you shall have night, not vision, darkness, not
divination; The sun shall go down upon the prophets, and
the day shall be dark for them. Then shall the seers be put to
shame, and the diviners confounded; They shall cover
their lips, all of them, because there is no answer from God.
[MICAH 3:5-7]
Hark! the LORD cries to the city. (It is wisdom to fear
your name!) Hear, O tribe and city council, You whose rich
men are full of violence, whose inhabitants speak
falsehood with deceitful tongues in their heads! Am I to bear
any longer criminal hoarding and the meager ephah that is
accursed? Shall I acquit criminal balances, bags of false
weights? Rather I will begin to strike you with devastation
because of your sins. [MICAH 6:9-13]
These then are the things you should do: Speak the truth to one
another; let there be honesty and peace in the judgments at your
gates, and let none of you plot evil against another in his heart,
nor love a false oath. For all these things I hate, says the LORD.
[ZECH 8:16-17]
For the teraphim speak nonsense, the diviners have false
visions: Deceitful dreams they tell, empty comfort they
offer. This is why they wander like sheep, wretched:
they have no shepherd. My wrath is kindled against the
shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; For the LORD
of hosts will visit his flock, the house of Judah, and
make them his stately war horse. [ZECH 10:2-3]
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