¹⁵ Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who prophesy in My name, whom I did not send, ^(A)and who say, ‘Sword and famine shall not be in this land’—‘By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed!

¹⁰ And they shall bear their iniquity; the punishment of the prophet shall be the same as the punishment of the one who inquired,

^20 (A)Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and ^(B)those who worshiped his image. ^(C)These two were cast alive into the lake of fire ^(D)burning with brimstone.

¹⁴ having eyes full of ^[a]adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. ^(A)They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. ¹⁵ They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of ^(B)Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; ¹⁶ but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.

^17 (C)These are wells without water, ^[b]clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness ^[c]forever.

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. ² And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. ³ By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction ^[a]does not slumber.

¹⁷ “Therefore^(A) thus says the Lord: