¹⁸ He said to him, “I too am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’ ” (He was lying to him.)

Love for God and One Another

4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but ^(A)test the spirits, whether they are of God; because ^(B)many false prophets have gone out into the world.

You Will Know Them by Their Fruits^(A)

^15 (B)“Beware of false prophets, ^(C)who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

Destructive Doctrines

2 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be ^(A)false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.

³⁵ Then the Angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, ^(A)but only the word that I speak to you, that you shall speak.” So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

¹³ For such ^(A)are false apostles, ^(B)deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into ^(C)an angel of light. ¹⁵ Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, ^(D)whose end will be according to their works.

³ But I fear, lest somehow, as ^(A)the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds ^(B)may be corrupted from the ^[a]simplicity that is in Christ.

¹⁸ For those who are such do not serve our Lord ^[a]Jesus Christ, but ^(A)their own belly, and ^(B)by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.

²² “Because with ^(A)lies you have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and you have ^(B)strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that he does not turn from his wicked way to save his life.

⁹ “My hand will be ^(A)against the prophets who envision futility and who ^(B)divine lies; they shall not be in the assembly of My people, ^(C)nor be written in the record of the house of Israel, ^(D)nor shall they enter into the land of Israel. ^(E)Then you shall know that I am the Lord God.