¹⁸ Be sure there is no man, woman, clan, or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations. Be sure there is no root among you bearing poisonous and bitter fruit.^{(A) 19} When someone hears the words of this oath, he may consider himself exempt,^[a] thinking, ‘I will have peace even though I follow my own stubborn heart.’ This will lead to the destruction of the well-watered land as well as the dry land.

¹⁷ “‘As for you, my flock, the Lord God says this: Look, I am going to judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and goats.^{(A) 18} Isn’t it enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of the pasture with your feet? Or isn’t it enough that you drink the clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? ¹⁹ Yet my flock has to feed on what your feet have trampled, and drink what your feet have muddied.

The Third Trumpet

¹⁰ The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from heaven.^(A) It fell on a third of the rivers and springs of water. ¹¹ The name of the star is Wormwood,^(B) and a third of the waters became wormwood. So, many of the people died from the waters, because they had been made bitter.

³ If anyone teaches false doctrine and does not agree with the sound teaching of our Lord^(A) Jesus Christ and with the teaching that promotes godliness,^{(B) 4} he is conceited and understands nothing, but has an unhealthy interest in disputes and arguments over words.^(C) From these come envy,^(D) quarreling,^(E) slander,^(F) evil suspicions, ⁵ and constant disagreement among people whose minds are depraved and deprived of the truth, who imagine that godliness is a way to material gain.^[a](G)

Guard the Heritage

²⁰ Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you,^(A) avoiding^(B) irreverent and empty speech and contradictions from what is falsely called knowledge.^(C)

¹⁶ They claim to know God,^(A) but they deny him by their works.^(B) They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work.^(C)